The Pajama Polarization
by CelesteGrey
Summary: A harmless little dream sends Penny into a frenzy and denial. Sheldon has similar issues. Neither is sure what to do. Penny/Sheldon. Rating for later chapters. A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. 6/10 - Expect an update this weekend :
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Her shoes were off first. It was such sweet release from ten straight hours at The Cheesecake Factory. Ten hours of overly picky patrons, under tipping patrons and, worst of all, entirely too drunk and touchy male patrons. She tried hard not to think about it. After all it was just another Friday for her. She threw her purse on the couch with a loud sigh. Her work shirt came off next. She threw that against the tv and wrinkled her nose at her own sloppiness. Whatever, she'd clean it up tomorrow. She stalked off to her bathroom and began to draw a scolding hot bath, complete with the Cherry Blossom bath salts (one variety of what seemed like hundreds) that Sheldon had made her take as a Christmas gift. She caught herself smiling then, remembering the awkward but sweet hug he'd given her as well.

The water was too hot to get in immediately. She went to her room to grab her pajamas for the night to put on after the bath. Yes, it was still early for a Friday but there was no way she was going out to party tonight. It was just not gonna happen. She searched through her dresser for something baggy and comfy and came across her Wonder Woman set. It reminded her of him. She couldn't quite remember him ever speaking of Wonder Woman particularly but it was comic book related and to her that automatically triggered thoughts of him. Yeah, she was wearing those tonight.

The water was still a little too hot but she eased in very slowly. Once submerged she instantly began to doze. The steam felt wonderful on her face and she could have sworn she could actually feel her pores opening. If Sheldon were there he could tell her the scientific reason behind it. And if he was doing that she would pretend not to care and stare off into space, like she did anytime he went into great detail about anything. What he wasn't aware of is that she actually did care. She paid close attention to every little bit of information, trying to memorize it. She tried to imagine the look on their faces (especially Sheldon) if they saw the books she borrowed from the library hidden under her bed. Basic physics, algebra, biology and astronomy (her favorite) were the topics she was secretly learning about. At first she was ok being clueless during their conversations revolving around science, but after a year and half it got to be a little annoying. She didn't plan on telling them about her self-education, she just wanted to be in the loop just a little bit.

She was asleep then, taken almost instantly to a dream. She was next door with Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Wolowitz. Her legs were brought up to her chin on the couch where she sat between Sheldon and Raj watching the intense Halo battle they were in. Her attention was slipping ever so slightly to the man at her left. She caught herself watching his hands with wide eyes, seeing his long fingers move almost eloquently on the controller. When she played Halo she was just a button masher, the kind of novice player that would just press any and everything as fast as possible to try and win. But not him. She knew he knew exactly what he was pressing and why and would bet he had the next 50 or so moves planned in his head. She broke her gaze from his hands and followed them up to his arms to his shoulders and to his face. He was concentrating on the game and barely blinking, breathing low and even. Suddenly Raj was no longer there. Wolowitz was next to disappear. She paid no mind, her eyes were on Sheldon. Leonard put the controller down and started to speak very fast about his deep feelings for her. She didn't even glance at him and he too disappeared.

It was just the two of them now, her arms wrapped around her knees studying his profile was he continued to play. She felt a warm sensation in her rib cage that began to spread the longer she stared at him. She didn't know why but she needed to be closer. As close as possible without him running away. She scooted over a few inches. He didn't flinch. Another inch. Still nothing from him. She swallowed the new lump in her throat and gently laid her head on his shoulders. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable lecture that was sure to come. He hit the pause button and sat the controller down but said nothing. Slowly and quite unsure, he settled back into the couch and allowed his head to rest gently against hers. She let her left arm drop to her side, palm open. He placed his right hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. The warmth in her chest seemed to explode to a five alarm fire...

She woke up with a violent jerk when her cell phone went off. She groaned and sat up, realizing quickly she must have been out at least a half hour. The water was ice cold and her feet and hands were about as wrinkly as humanly possible. She climbed out of the tub and put her robe on, still groggy, and head to her room to get dressed. It wasn't until she pulled the Wonder Woman tank top on that she remembered the dream she just had. The sudden rush of emotions made her a little dizzy and she had to sit down. Did she really just dream that? About Sheldon? What was wrong with her! It was SHELDON! She then felt that same warm sensation start to build as she went over it again (and again and again) and frowned. This wasn't right. It was just because of the stressful day. She wasn't thinking straight.

She made herself a cup of hot tea and sat down to clear her mind with television. It wasn't happening. All she could do was replay the dream in detail over and over in her mind, getting that same warm feeling every time. Nothing she thought of could block it. And she then realized (to her horror) that she didn't _want_ to block it out.

"Uh oh," Penny said out loud. She wasn't an idiot, although at this moment she wished she was. She knew exactly what was going on. That's when she heard the first three quick knocks on the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The first set of three knocks had her up instantly but she didn't answer yet. He called her name softly. Three more knocks. Her called her name again and she waited for the final three knocks. She opened the door to see him standing there with a piece of paper in his hand, fidgeting to a point of almost bouncing on the spot.

"Penny," he said for the final time.

She smiled weakly at him. He looked almost nervous. His eyes were larger than normal and he was breathing through his mouth. She then realized the level of observation needed to notice these types of things and could feel the heat rise from her chest to her face. Embarrassment? This was not good.

"Yes, Sheldon?"

"I've come to ask a courtesy of you," he began, letting himself into her apartment like he had countless times before. She shut the door behind him and prepared for the worst. Sheldon rarely asked for favors. "I am aware that as of present you owe absolutely no obligation to me, but since we are now friends..."

"Sweetie, if you are referring to the Nimoy napkin, I've told you forget about it. It was a present. You are not indebted to me," she said, sitting down on her couch. He remained standing and looked down at her with a slight frown.

"You've told me 18 times now but I refuse to let it suffice. Anyway, I was wondering if you, dear sweet Penny," he began, putting an awkward emphasis on the last few words," would be so kind as to give me a ride to the grocery. Leonard is staying with Stephanie this weekend and neither Howard of Raj will answer my calls. I tried to call you as well, just a while ago but you didn't answer. Your shift was over 110 minutes ago so I concluded you must be home by now. I checked the parking lot and saw that your car was there, so here I am."

She glanced at the clock on her wall. The time was 12:20 a.m. He was right on the money. She wasn't surprised. "It's past midnight. The only place open is Ralph's."

"I know. While their selection of fresh and organic items is often hampered, they do offer roughly 84.84% of the other items that I need promptly and at a fair price. Likewise, I prefer the later time. The number of patrons is diminished and gives me the opportunity to shop at my own pace."

She was exhausted and would rather just continue loafing about on the couch, but the faint smile on his face changed her mind. He was normally so socially inept, almost robotic and somewhat cold but seeing him in this state of mind (although rare) made it almost impossible to refuse to him. It was amazing how such a small hint of emotion changed his appearance. It was frustrating to face just how much she enjoyed it. She stood up and grabbed an old hoodie from the closet.

"Alright," she said, slipping her white crocs on. "But you will have to deal with me looking a mess." Why did she say that? Sheldon had no interest in anyone's appearance, much less her own.

"From what I've witnessed, pajamas are the norm when it comes to after hours shopping endeavors," he said, walking toward her. Her back was to him as she was filling her pockets with her keys, phone and wallet. She suddenly could feel him there and was overcome with the urge to take a step back and settle into his long torso. No. She would not do that. She didn't want to do that. Did she? She shivered at the thought. "Are you cold?" he asked, obviously noticing the little convulsion.

"I'm fine. Just a cold chill," she said, stepping away from him and heading toward the door.

"The occurrence of a 'cold chill' is an emotionally triggered response when one is deeply affected by a stimulus in their immediate surroundings or by a recollection," he said quickly.

"Whatever you say, sweetie," she replied and secretly made a mental note. Immediate surroundings or recollections, huh? How about both? She tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind. "Let's go."

Sheldon walked out but hesitated just a step past the doorway. He turned back at her, looking nervous again and asked "You are positive this will not bother you? Because if you have other plans..."

She couldn't stop herself from patting his arm. That warmth roared in her and she withdrew her hand as quick as possible without showing a hint of something being wrong. Not that he would have noticed anyway. "Sheldon, relax. Besides, I need to grab a few things myself." Wait a minute. That last part was an excuse. She knew an excuse when she heard one. Especially coming from herself. She just made an excuse to take him when one was clearly not needed. Unacceptable.

There was a simple explanation for what was going on with her and she would figure it out.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The ride in the car began as a surprisingly quiet one. Sheldon seemed to be holding back his usual driving lectures regarding check engine lights, safest distance between cars and shortcuts. In fact the only thing he prattled on about was her choice of pajamas.

"Wonder Woman was my third least favorite member of the original Justice League," he said after several minutes of silence. "Are you wearing those because you are an actual fan of the character or is it more of a symbol of feminist propaganda?"

Penny started laughing. "Feminist Propaganda?"

Sheldon opened his mouth to further comment but decided against it. She would have guessed his comments would have been, perhaps, a little sexist.

"Neither. They were a Christmas gift a few years ago. I mean, I watched some of the old Lynda Carter reruns when I was a kid, but was never really a fan."

"Are you a fan of any comic book characters?"

This was a little different. She couldn't recall him ever asking her about things she enjoyed. "Well, while I am not anywhere as die-hard as you or any of the boys are about those types of things, yes. A few actually."

Sheldon's face seemed to perk up. He was intrigued. "Do tell."

"I really like the Batman universe. Not so much Batman himself, don't get me wrong, he's awesome too, but ever since I was a kid watching Batman: the Animated series after school I really dug Catwoman, Ivy and Harley Quinn. Harley especially. I even dressed as her for Halloween in 5th grade."

"Harley Quinn always seems to be brought up by females when speaking of favorite comic book characters," he said matter-of-factly. He quickly added, "not that there's anything to that. She's not a bad character. Did you know she was created for the animated show first? After that she began to make appearances in the actual comics."

"Huh," was all Penny could say. She didn't know that.

"Is that it? Just the Femme Fatales of Gotham?"

"I like the X-Men. Nightcrawler is my favorite there. Spiderman is good too. And Iron Man is pretty awesome, but I'm biased. That's Robert Downey Jr's fault. To be honest, my love of them comes from the old cartoons and the newer movie versions. I never really read the comics themselves as a kid."

He stared at her. She was expecting to get the third degree regarding comic-verse versus movie-verse but he didn't say anything. He swallowed hard and said in a sort of forced kindness, "Well, if you ever would like to start reading any of those, I have them all. Back and current issues. You are welcome to borrow them if you'd like." He raised his arm a bit and it hovered about her leg, as if he was going to pat it, but didn't. He cleared his throat and turned away from her.

All the confused thoughts and emotions she was dealing with suddenly got a lot more complicated. She was, after all, a girl and regardless of how completely uninterested, non-compatible and seemingly asexual any man was, a girl does not ignore body language. A girl will remember every little movement and break down and analyze it, even if she herself is not at interested in the subject. Even more so if she is.

"Thanks, Sheldon. I may take you up on that offer," she said softly. But in her mind she was screaming "SHIT!"

He didn't say anything. Penny could see him in her peripheral looking out the passenger side window at the passing houses. He wasn't fidgeting as much as he was in the apartment and was sitting with his hands folded in his lap. She immediately thought of her dream earlier and that warmth came back. No. She refused to do this. She needed something to take her mind off of it.

"Sheldon? Do you wanna play that name game you and Leonard play when you two are in the car? I can't do the elements but I might be able to hold my own with fictional characters."

He glanced back to see her grinning at him.

"Jean Grey"

"Yogi Bear"

"Reed Richards"

"Who's that?"

"Mr. Fantastic from the..."

"Fantastic Four. Right I knew that..."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sheldon was right about there being less shoppers at this time of night. It was nearly 1 a.m. when they walked in to the almost empty store. The brightness of the florescent lights made both Penny and Sheldon squint.

"I like Denton's better," Sheldon said, wiping the metal cart's handle with a wet wipe (he brought it himself of course). "They use a lower wattage yellow bulb. It's much less of an optical strain. Plus, experts believe it to create a friendly atmosphere. Makes it seem more inviting."

Penny just nodded. She appointed herself as cart pusher and followed Sheldon down the canned food isle. She had only been shopping with him a few times but knew he had an order that must be followed. What she came to find out was that given the free range of a nearly empty store, Sheldon become even more precise about the items he picked. He checked every single item for the farthest expiration date. He studied package shape for optimal storage. He even color coordinated them in the basket. It was nearly 2:30 a.m. when they finally checked out.

She didn't mind. Sure, she was dead on her feet but he didn't even mention her posture as she leaned on the cart. She watched him in almost complete silence, oddly fascinated by his actions. It was like watching a documentary on the Science Channel. "Day in the Life of an Obsessive-Compulsive Super Genius." The furrow of his brow when he was concentrating. The way he drew invisible calculations in the air. His strong jaw line set once a problem was solved...

Stop it, Penny. Think about something else. At least until you get this all sorted out. This. Is. Sheldon. Sheldon! Thankfully her mind became too blurry to really concentrate on anything when they were almost home. She helped him carry his bags in and sat them on the counter when her eyes started to become heavy. She shook out of it and began to help unbag the items, feeling herself slowing down...

Someone was holding her arm tightly then.

"Penny," Sheldon said, snapping her out of it. "I believe I can handle the task of unbagging groceries. You, obviously, cannot right now. You nearly fell asleep standing up! You would do best to get some rest. Come on." He was leading her gently by the arm across the hall to her apartment. He even walked her back to her bedroom to make sure she didn't fall. She hit the bed without a hesitation. He stood in her bedroom doorway looking just a little bit upset.

"I'm sorry I kept you from your much needed sleep. I didn't realize how long we were there. My god, any longer and you might have dozed at the wheel and killed us both!"

She responded with a snore.

He fidgeted his arms a bit, looking everywhere but at her sleeping. "Don't worry. I'll lock your door for you. However, I will only be able to secure the spring bolt on the bottom. This would, of course, give any would be burglar a 48% higher success rate if they tried..." he trailed off. He looked at her then, curled in a ball on top of her comforter. He slowly and uneasily reached for the blanket farthest from her body and threw it over her. He headed for the door, whispering "good night" and "thank you" even though he knew she couldn't hear it.

Penny was basking in the glow from a standing ovation of her sold old play, complete with a shower of roses. She took a final bow and waved at her adoring fans before leaving the stage and heading to her private dressing room filled with hundreds of fresh, fragrant flowers. She had just slipped on a long, silk robe when there was a knock on the door. She opened it to see a drop dead gorgeous Robert Downey Jr. standing there.

"Penny," he said, stepping in."You were absolutely fantastic. Unbelievable. Would you care to join me for a drink tonight?"

An exasperated Penny shut the door and backed up against it, clutching her rob dramatically. "Why Robert! I don't know what to say!"

"Just say yes my darling," he said, pulling her by the hand to him. She looked deep into his warm brown eyes, feeling herself getting closer and closer to his face....closer and closer to his lips...

There were three quick knocks at her dressing room door. She tore away from Robert to answer it. There was Sheldon, holding two old super nintendo controllers in one hand, a 6-pack of Dr. Pepper in the other. He said nothing. She looked back to Robert who was standing with open arms, then back to Sheldon who jostled the controllers, grinning.

She didn't even saw a word to Robert as she shut him in that dressing room alone, walking arm in arm with Sheldon. He opened his mouth to speak but this horrible screech came out. Penny frowned.

Then she groaned loudly realizing it was her alarm blaring next to her head. She was so annoyed that she actually threw it across the room, enjoying the silence once it hit the closet door. She wasn't worried about breaking it. If it was broken, she could just get Leonard or Sheldon to fix it...

Sheldon. She groaned again and buried her face in the pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Penny was sitting on her couch half-watching some terrible VH-1 special about the 100 greatest something or other. It was almost 4 p.m but she was still in her pajamas. Waking up and remembering that second dream in one night about Sheldon had wrecked her afternoon. There were empty packets of 100 calorie oreos and cans of soda all over her coffee table. She had her notebook out, jotting down the details of the two dreams, the reactions she had while shopping and Sheldon's seemingly odd behavior.

She even went as far to get on her laptop and attempt to analyze her dreams with an online dream dictionary. The results weren't good enough for her so she searched some relationship forums using the search terms "love" and "friend". After some quick skimming she found some threads where confused people weren't sure if they were in love with a friend or not. The advice in the responses gave her mixed feelings. She was relieved by some saying it was most likely a mere lapse due to unclear thinking, most likely caused by stress, loneliness or hormones. She was terrified reading things like "friends first make the best relationships" and "I married my best friend".

No. This was just temporary insanity. She was suffering from stress, loneliness and (she looked at her calender) PMS. Mystery solved. A little rest, a night at the bar and chocolate ice cream would surely cure this disturbing ailment. She grabbed her phone and called her friend Kasey. "Kase? I need to go out tonight..."

*****

Sheldon heard a group of giggling girls in the hallway. He recognized Penny. She must be going out tonight. Lord knows why. I mean, really. How much enjoyment can one person get out of binge drinking, inner ear damaging music, uncoordinated dancing and unsolicited groping? None of that sounded like much fun at all. He shrugged and continued to watch an old Star Trek episode, alone.

No one else was in the apartment. Leonard was still with Stephanie. Howard was at work. Raj was nursing a particularly bad case of influenza (of which Sheldon wanted absolutely no part of) . Penny was gone. No one at all the bother him. Companion-less. Completely free of all distractions. Yes, solitary. Not a soul near to invade his space. All alone.

The episode he was watching was one he had seen several times over. He knew every line and what was going to happen. Spock was explaining to Captain Kirk what the alien creature demanded through his "mind meld". Leonard Nimoy was a great man. And to think he possessed not only a personalized signature, but his dna as well. His stomach gave an old jolt. Suddenly, he didn't feel like watching Star Trek anymore. He turned the tv off and went to his laptop on his desk. He would catch up on some work. This was a rare opportunity to do so with no one bothering him. He began typing random notes and equations down. "String theory strongly suggests that spacetime has eleven dimensions, as opposed to the usual three space and one time..."

Why did he write that? Any idiot high school physics teacher knew that. Something was off. Did he get adequate rest this morning? Was his dinner substandard and somehow causing neurological paralysis? Those were the only logical explanations. He looked at his watch. It was only 9:30. He usually didn't go to bed til 11:30 on Saturday. Decisions decisions. Should he stay up, continue to disappoint himself with work, attempt to watch television or should he call it a failed evening and turn it?

He chose the latter. He took an extra long shower to make the time go by, making it closer to his normal bedtime, hoping his body's sleep pattern would accept an earlier time easier. He scrubbed everything twice, examining every part of his epidermis he could easily see for any sign of potentially cancerous moles. Nothing was any different. That was good. He put on his dark green flannel pajamas, checked the front door to make sure it was locked and headed to bed. He laid on his right side at first, eye closed, waiting for his mind to slow down and enter the REM stage. Nothing was happening. He switched sides. Still nothing. He changed to laying on his back. What was wrong? He was never this restless. Why wouldn't he just fall asleep. He sighed out of frustration. Maybe he wasn't trying hard enough. Another hour went by of him laying perfectly still on his bed, eyes closed before he finally started to doze, images of grease boards, lightsabers and a pair of bright green eyes darting quickly through his mind until he finally let out a quiet snore.

******

Sheldon was sitting in his spot on the couch playing Halo 3 with Leonard, Raj and Howard. The battle was intense, both teams at 43 kills and only 3 minutes left.

"There's a sniper hiding on hilltop 4," Raj informed.

"Not for long," Leonard said, pushing buttons wildly. Sheldon was too deeply involved in a plasma grenade battle with some person named "pwndjoo" to participate in any trash talk. He was vaguely aware of hearing the front door open.

"I've brought food," Penny announced. None of them responded. He didn't even look up at her as she put the Thai food on the table and took the vacant seat next to him. She didn't speak again until the epic battle was over. They won by four kills. "Ok, dig in!" she said passing out the meals.

Before Sheldon could even ask anything about his order, she handed him the organic soy sauce, favorite hot mustard and chopsticks. He opened his container to see the the broccoli in his order had been specially prepared, just as he asked. He looked up at her in what was the closest thing he could make as a grateful expression. She just grinned and winked at him before digging into her own food. He hesitated a bit before awkwardly leaning toward her and planting a very gentle kiss on her cheek...

He sat up quickly in his bed. The clock next to his bed read 4:26 a.m. 3 hours and 4 minutes too early for Sunday morning. He sighed, disappointed that his REM cycles were interrupted. He would have a stern talking to Leonard about the noise levels during designated sleep times... Wait. Leonard wasn't home. Or he shouldn't be. Sheldon got out of bed and slipped on his matching dark green robe. He stood in front of his roommates door and knocked three times.

"Leonard?" Before he could repeat the sequence of knocks the door cracked open. He slowly pushed it completely open to see the room empty. He looked to into the bathroom. Empty. He stepped into the living room. Empty as well. Odd. Some outside stimulus had to have woken him up. It wasn't due to the call of nature. He wasn't hungry or thirsty. If fact he felt quite satiated.

He went back to his bed to go back to sleep. It was a futile effort. He just laid there, on his side, starting at the fish nightlight he had created. His stomach gave an odd jolt similar to the one earlier that evening. Was this the onset of digestive distress? Something in the back of his mind said no. What could it be? He turned on his back and stared at the ceiling. He began to list the periodic table of elements in order by atomic mass, least to greatest. Then he did it by class. Then alphabetic order by symbol.... Ag is silver, Al aluminum, Am americium, Ar is argon, As arsenic, At astatine, Au is gold, an adjective often used to describe persons with blond hair. Like Penny.

Error. That wasn't a correct answer. The next thought should have B for boron. Not anything to do with Penny. Why did she come to mind? If he was in the c's and Cu (which is copper of course) was next, then thought would be a bit more logical to think "penny". Well Zn (zinc) would actually due to the fact that pennies have been made with 99.2% zinc and only 0.8% copper since 1982....He regained his train of thought and started back where he left off. Db is dubnium, Ds darmstadtium, Dy dysprosium...she has very attractive eyes. The iris is quite clear and distinctive and when the light hits them at a certain angle it gives the illusion of a "twinkle."

"And green is one of the rarest of eye colors," he said out loud to the ceiling. He tensed up instantly, an odd uncomfortable feeling in his throat. He was talking to himself. About Penny's eyes. TO HIMSELF. Talking to ones self is usually considered a sign of paranoid schizophrenia. This was not was so caught up on the act of talking to himself that he ignored what he was actually talking about. He started going through the signs of early detection of mental illnesses. Then he started craving Thai food. Strange. He pushed all these sudden bizarre urges to the back of his head. He decided to go over the thesis that earned him his second doctorate. He was on page 42 before finally slipping into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Penny woke up with a wicked headache. She turned to look at her alarm clock but remembered it was in pieces near her closet door, so she checked her cell phone. 5:45 a.m She groaned. This is what she gets for overdoing it at the bar. She should have listened to the bartender and stopped at 7 jager shots. A loud snore that did not come from her startled her. She looked next to her to see a vaguely familiar man asleep there. In bed with her. Uh oh. She racked her brain. What his name? Brian? Brad? Butch? This was bad.

She crawled out of bed, careful not to wake this stranger. She crept to the bathroom to throw some water on her face. There was no evidence that that action caused any decrease in pain caused by hangovers but she did it anyway. The was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that she recognized as guilt. Agonizing guilt. Why? It's not like this was the first time she'd had an alcohol fueled one night stand. She splashed more cold water on her eyes. The sensation seemed to awaken her brain and something clicked. She felt guilty because of what drove her to go out in the first place.

Her body was exhausted but she didn't go back to bed. She was sure falling asleep would be impossible so she curled up on the couch and turned the tv on low. There was no way she could go and lay back in that bed with that guy she didn't know. She felt dirty remembering what recently transpired in that bed. She made a mental note to throw out those sheets. And burn them. Along with Brian/Brad/Butch. Alright, maybe not him. It wasn't really his fault he was there. An infomercial for SpaceBags began playing and her mind wondered to the one thing she had tried so hard to forget.

Why him? Of all the people in the Pasadena area why him? They were practically polar opposites. Ok, they had a few things in common. They had similar taste in food. They both liked Age of Conan. Refusal to back down when they feel they are in the right. But that wasn't much. Not enough. They were like oil and water. Sure, if you mix for a quick burst they combine ok but will separate quickly. An image of a hip, cool cartoon cat dancing with Paula Abdul popped into her head and she laughed out loud. Opposites Attract. Really, Penny? She tried to shake the absurdity off. There must be another reason for this madness. Falling for Sheldon, pfft. She put her brain into overdrive.

Aha! Eureka! What happens when most people are presented with an intriguing mystery? They try and solve it. She had always wondered about his "deal". Sheldon showed no romantic interest in her. Or anyone or anything for that matter. The boys had joked that he might reproduce by mitosis or that he'll just come out of a cocoon and sprout wings. This was obviously her subconscious trying to find out the answer for sure. Just a weird, slightly sick desire to prove them wrong. It wasn't because she had honest, genuine feelings for him right? At least no feelings beyond the friendship level. That's totally what this was. Just her usually quiet subconscious attempting to do an experiment. A horrible experiment that she would not allow. The idea was ludicrous and kind of mean. Not to mention the odds of it working being astronomically high. Right? The idea of him having feelings for anything that wasn't a fictional character was implausible. Laughable. She actually started to chuckle to herself as she fell back into sweet slumber.

*******

Sheldon woke up later than the usual 7:30 a.m. He looked at his watch and saw it was 8:30. He missed the BBC morning news. This was not shaping up to be a splendid day. He rolled out of bed, showered and dressed quickly, attempting to make up some of the time lost by oversleeping. He could still catch Clone Wars: The Animated Series at 9. He took his spot on the couch with a bowl of frosted shredded wheat with 2% milk and settled in to enjoy, as much as he could, his program. Two spoonfuls in he no longer desired to eat it. But breakfast is an important part of the day so he forced himself to finish it. An hour's worth of cartoons led to cleaning time. He was grateful cleaning time was going to be done all by himself. He always felt a little paranoid when Leonard did his share, never knowing how well it actually was disinfected. He would much rather do it all, but Leonard insisted on helping.

Two solid hours of very intensive cleaning lifted his mood considerably. He had started with his room, then the bathroom, living room and ending with the kitchen. He felt the need to even go through the refrigerator and discard anything he felt was past its prime. A few pudding cups, Leonard's leftovers, some grape jelly, an almost empty bottle of his favorite hot mustard...

The intensity of his literal gut reaction almost caused him to drop the trash bag he was holding. He replayed a scene in his head rapidly, again and again, one that he was sure never happened. Playing Halo was common, as was Penny picking up dinner. She even managed to get his order right some of the time. But he was pretty sure he had never kissed her on the cheek out of gratitude. No. That never happened. Must have been imagined....or dreamt. It all came to him then, the dream, waking up with odd feelings in his stomach, craving Thai, the elements, his thesis. Penny. What an interesting night. He shrugged it off and headed outside to put the trash in the dumpster. He opened the door to see Penny coming out of her apartment, wearing her work uniform and carrying what appeared to be sheets. She turned to see him and jumped.

"Jesus, you scared me Sheldon," she said, clutching at her chest.

"I think a more appropriate term would be 'surprised'. Unless of course I somehow instill fear in you. Never the less, good afternoon. Are you doing laundry? I have an extra basket if you need it."

He noticed her cheeks flush. "No. I'm actually throwing them out."

"Why? They look fine to me. Is it the fibers? Cheap sheets can cause skin irritation. Or does it not match your decor? Regardless you shouldn't waste materials. You could turn them into cleaning rags or bits for use in the making of crafts," he said. Then he wondered if crafts were part of Penny's hobbies. He wondered why he cared.

"They are old and filthy. No amount of bleach can save these," she said, heading toward the stairs. He followed suit, getting to them before her and started the decent down.

"That's a good call. Excessive washing with bleach can really damage fiber integrity." He wasn't sure what to follow that with. "I assume that your attire is a good indication that you have to work today."

"Yeah. 1 to 7," she said. He detected a tone of disappointment. She didn't want to go to work. He wouldn't want to either if that was his job, but none the less he noticed her hair was pulled back and her face looked bare. She wasn't as 'made-up' as usual for work. This could mean several things. One: she was running late and didn't have time. Two: She did not have to proper cosmetics available. Three: She wasn't feeling well. He looked at his watch. It was only 12:10. Time wasn't an issue. And he was fairly sure Penny would not let her supply of cosmetics run out. She looked better without them anyway. So it must be the latter.

"Are you feeling alright?"

She seemed taken aback by his question as she turned to look at him with wide eyes and stumbled on the stairs. He was two steps below her, standing on the last step before the corner landing that lead to the next flight. He reacted quickly, letting go of the trash bag and extending his arms at a width adequate enough to catch her. Her foot missed the step as she tried to steady herself . She fell forward into him, knocking him down a step onto the landing and back into the small space of wall. He closed his arms around her without thinking. She was still for a few seconds, breathing heavy, arms clutching the sheets pressed between them, head resting right below his chin. A pleasant aroma filled his nostrils. It was her shampoo and he found himself moving closer and inhaling deeply.

"I'm sorry," Penny apologized, pulling away. "I must be a little tipsy still for last night."

The comment slipped past his lips before he could stop himself. "You smell wonderful." Why did he feel the need to tell her that? The products she uses were more than likely purchased by her. Therefore they must be pleasing to her or she wouldn't buy them. She must already be aware of the scent, so she didn't need anyone to tell her. Why did he feel lightheaded?

"Thank you," Penny said softly. He could see she was blushing now (an emotional response usually to embarrassment or modesty), this time noticing it from her cheeks down past her neck. He also knew somehow that this was visually appealing to him.

"You're welcome," he said, picking the bag of trash up and continued down the stairs. He kept looking over his should at her, (who had her head down) wanting to be alert if she tripped again. Being unbalanced was a sign of inner ear trouble, he made a note to check up on that with her later. They walked in silence to the dumpster. He threw his bag in first and turned to her, knowing her short height would cause strain trying to get the sheets in, he motioned for her to hand them to him. The thought did run through his mind about her comment about them being filthy, but he made a mental note just to scrub his hands vigorously when he got back upstairs. They walked away from the dumpster, their steps in tune until Penny veered left toward her car.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later."

He just nodded and continued walking. He stopped. That wasn't sufficient response. He needed to add something. He turned back to see her fishing for her keys. "I hope your waitressing endeavors go without complications today." She looked up at him with those same wide eyes again and half-smiled. He nodded and went back inside. He was surprised at how dismal he now felt that she was gone. What was happening to him? He was going to get to the bottom of it. I mean, there had to be something wrong. Chemical imbalance. Temporary insanity. If he didn't know any better he would just assume these oddities were on account of...emotions.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

What. The. FUCK.

What just happened? She was such a spazz. All he did was ask if she was ok and what did she do? Fell right into his arms. Ok, she tripped and he caught her but thats not the point. The point is, if she was indeed (for some god awful reason) actually developing feelings for Sheldon, there was absolutely no better representation than actually falling into his arms. His surprisingly strong arms...that felt wonderful around her...No No NO! S-H-E-L-D-O-N. That's how you spell "no". She didn't have feelings for him. Nope. Not at all. That final. End of discussion forever. So there's no need for her to think anymore about it. At all. No more Sheldon....What was his deal anyway? Yeah, he caught her before she killed herself on the stairs, but even a stranger would've done that. But holding her like that? The telling her she smelled wonderful? Telling her to (basically) have a good day at work? No this wasn't right. It was down right bizarre.

The loud angry music she turned on did little to calm her. She was speeding and practically vibrating with emotions, screaming lyrics at random. She noticed a billboard for a new Brad Pitt movie and started going through everything she'd ever seen him in. Fight Club...his body was amazing in that. Chiseled from stone. As it should be. Not lanky and skinny and pale...She cursed. Ok, where was she. Ocean's Eleven. He and George Clooney had great chemistry. Mr. and Mrs. Smith....had Sheldon ever been kissed? Ah! No! She gripped the steering white knuckle tight. He thoughts darted to him catching her, how her body fit so well into his, how gentle he managed to be....wait, did she just let out a moan? No fucking way. That had to have been a groan. Yeah, a groan of annoyance. Annoyed that he chose now to start acting all weird. Annoyed that she was aware of it. Annoyed how she couldn't stop thinking about him. Annoyed that she didn't want to.

She pulled into the parking lot of The Cheesecake Factory and threw the car into park. She began to laugh hysterically, bumping her forehead on the steering wheel. The laughs grew louder and tears started to come down her cheeks. So this was it, huh? This is what it felt like to lose one's mind completely. It wasn't that bad she had to admit. Less violent and disorienting then she would have thought. There's was no denying it. She longed to see him. That familiar, oddly pleasurable pain in her lower abdomen. It was hard to swallow. The feelings were there. They were real. Honest. That only meant one thing. She had turned absolutely, positively, bat-shit crazy.

******

Remembering earlier, he discovered that he liked the way it felt when he held her for those few seconds. He wasn't surprised that he enjoyed it, it was a natural biological response. He wasn't even surprised that he now had the urge to hold her again only closer and tighter. These reactions were not new to him. Rare, yes, but not completely foreign. He remembered the way he felt when Emily Reed came up to him and held his hand in the fifth grade. The physical response when Chery Murphy, a girl that lived a few trailers down, kissed him on the lips when he was 12. The irritating nocturnal emissions that followed until he was 15. When Hannah, on of the German professor's daughter, cornered him late one night in the common room of the dorm while he was there as visiting professor. She had grabbed his hand and placed it on her right breast. He understood the dynamics of those responses. What was puzzling him was why these recent reactions were so intense. And why they were for Penny.

Hannah had been the last time there was any intentional physical intimacy between himself and another woman. Every one of his previous experiences were always initiated by someone else. He was just fine with that. A person like him did not need nor desire any relationship with a woman that was not strictly platonic. Even if the woman was a kind, naive and utterly radiant as Penny. He wondered what kind of shampoo he used. If he wasn't already aware that it was physically impossible, he would have said he could still smell it. He also noted that her body temperature seemed higher than normal.

Ok. This was getting out of hand. She was just a girl next door. His neighbor and...friend. Yes, they were friends. A friend who happened to be sexually attractive. And confident. And charming. And sometimes feisty. And she looked past what others might consider his "odd" behavior. She did favors for him. Laughed when he made jokes even if she didn't understand them. She gave him the greatest Christmas present anyone could have given him. A gift that showed a high level of perceived friendship. But that was all. Just a friend.

This was completely maddening. He would figure this out. He had an IQ of 187, surely to God this would be a walk in the park. He stood up and walked to his room to grab one of his extra grease boards. He moved the one full of equations to the chair and placed the fresh one up. He separated it in half precisely with a yardstick, labeling the top half "Reactions to Other Females in the Past" and the Bottom: "Reactions to Penny". He began writing words and phrases quickly. After a few minutes of rushed scribbling he stood back and checked his work to make sure he got everything down and to review.

Reactions to Other Females in the Past: Accelerated heart rate, anxiety, headache, cold sweats, fear, loathing, unable to make eye contact, chagrin, urge to flee, nausea

Reactions to Penny: Accelerated heart rate (slightly), elevated mood, lightheadedness (occasional), weak filter for comments, interrupting thoughts of her, constant visual reminders, physiological responses to those visual reminders, desire to assist, desire to be in her company

He looked at the last item listed under the Penny half. Desire to Be in her company. Where did that come from? He wasn't aware that he wanted to be in her presence. Now that he thought about it, he acknowledged it was true. Interesting. He put the cap on the marker and began attempting to interpret the data he had gathered. Nothing was immediately obvious to him aside from the differences between the two sets. What did it mean? He grabbed a notebook and an old psychology textbook from one of his many bookshelves. He did some speed reading through possibly relevant chapters, jotting down notes. He did the same with a sociology book. He studied his notes for almost an hour, trying to come up with an acceptable explanation.

Acceptable, not obvious. You see, he had realized exactly what was happening to him by the fifth psychology chapter. All the data pointed to deep positive emotional reactions to another human being. He liked her. Not that he didn't like her before all this chaos, but the books were suggesting he liked her in a romantic way. Some passages even suggested something stronger. He didn't even want to think about that word. No. That was impossible. He didn't feel that way about anyone. Ever. He couldn't. It wasn't acceptable. It was wholly illogical. Highly unlikely. Absurd.

Oh hell. Who was he trying to fool? Even he knew it was useless trying to go against the grain on this one. There is no disputing cold hard facts. Nothing his astonishing mind could create would change anything. He would just accept that something must have snapped in his limbic system. He sighed and erased the grease board. One thing was now bothering him. If he was going to accept the findings from his research and acknowledge his...feelings....what the hell was he supposed to do now?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Penny had gone a whole fifteen minutes without thinking about him. Of course, once she thought about how long she went without thinking about him, it voided it the whole thing and she had to start the clock over. She glanced at the clock above the bar. 6:15. Only forty-five minutes left before she could go home, something she was entirely to excited about. She knew why she was excited and she hated herself for it. One of her customers ordered a barbeque cheeseburger and she sighed. Every little thing... it was beyond insane. She ran back to the kitchen for a quick 3 minute break off her feet. Her manager came through the doors. She stood up quickly and tried to play it off like she was just getting silverware. He just laughed at her.

"You are not that slick, Pen," he laughed. "One of your friends is at the bar looking for you. He comes in here with the other 3 guys every week. One of your neighbors I think?"

Penny dropped the spoon she had just picked up. There was only one of four people it could be. She knew which one she wished it was. "Thanks, Mitch," she said, taking a deep breath and heading toward the bar. She saw the back of his head instantly, sitting taller than most around him. She recognized the bright green shirt he had been wearing earlier that afternoon. His head was tilted down. She imagined he was staring at the bar itself. Her eyes locked on his long bare neck...imaging wrapping her arms around it... No. Nope. That was not appropriate right now. She was at work. She needed to acknowledge that she knew he was here. Why couldn't she move from that spot. Oh crap. Her chest was tightening. "Breathe. Ok. You can do this. You can still control yourself, regardless of how mentally insane you've become over the last two days," she thought to herself. She grabbed her order book and pen in her hands, just so she had a grip on isomething/i.

Before she could regain control of her feet he turned around to see her staring at him. He smiled. Wait, he just smiled. A real smile. Oh god. "Hello Penny," he said.

She forced herself to step forward. "Hey Sheldon. What are you doing here?" She had this. Piece of cake.

"It came to my attention that the decreased level of my contentment was caused by solitude," he said, sipping from his glass. She just nodded at the statement....wait. Did he just say he was lonely? She analyzed it again. Yes. That was indeed what he said.

"Aww, I'm sorry sweetie. So Leonard's not home yet?"

"He wasn't before I came here."

"Why did you come to the Cheesecake Factory? Why not to Howard's or the comic store or something?"

"Because you were here."

She could've swore her heart stopped. Surely she didn't hear that right. Her newly destroyed mind was causing hallucinations. "How did you get here?"

"It was too strenuous of a walk so I decided to use the yellow cab."

Sheldon take a cab? What was up with him? Maybe there was a gas leak in the apartment building. That would explain the odd behavior in both of them.

"But I get off in like twenty minutes."

"I am aware of your shift."

"Well, don't you think that's a waste of time and money to come here when I'll be leaving so soon?"

He didn't immediately respond. He took another deep gulp of soda and stared at the ground. "I assumed that you would allow me to ride back with you to the apartment. I now realize this was not fair. I didn't anticipate that you may have other plans once you were off that didn't involve immediately going home."

Wait, what? This was ridiculous. She had a hard enough time trying to understand him before. Now with all these new stupid emotions in the mix it was even harder. She twirled the pen in her hand. "I don't have any plans."

"Still, it was unintelligent of me to assume so," he replied quietly, still staring down.

"Sweetie, I'm still not sure I get what you are talking about. Why didn't you just wait at home?"

He lifted his gaze to her. "As I said before, you were here."

The tone of his voice and the look in his eyes paralyzed her.

*******

Sheldon got off his chair to pick up the pen and notebook Penny dropped. He wondered if this was a common trait for her. He held them out to her and she took them, their fingers touching a little longer than they should have, and Sheldon couldn't decipher which of them was doing the lingering. He decided he didn't care. He half-smiled at her and observed that she seemed to want to say something but was unable to do so. Her eyes were slightly glossed over and her face was changing hue. It then occurred to him that she seemed ok just a few moments ok and the only event to occur was their conversation and perhaps he said something to cause this change.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked her. There was an unpleasant feeling in his stomach now.

She bit her bottom lip. "So, you would rather see me than try to see your other friends."

"That is correct. Is that bad?"

His question seemed to bring her back. The color came back to her face quickly and she smiled. "No, it's just...it's been a long day. I have two tables left then we can go. You can go wait in my car if you want."

He thought about it. She had to clear tables so that meant she'd be in the dining room. He was seated on the other side in the bar area. If he waited inside for her, he would be unable to see her. But he could walk with her out. On the other hand, her car was familiar and empty and he could turn music on to help pass the time. He chose the car. She tossed him the keys and said she would be out there as soon as she could.

He was sitting in the passenger's seat, belt already buckled, tapping on his knees to the rhythm of whatever song was playing. He wasn't familiar with it. He was contemplating Penny's reactions to what he was saying earlier, trying his best to interpret them. He had nothing to compare them to. This was uncharted territory and he didn't like it. She seemed surprised by his presence here. He did not know if it was the good or bad kind of surprised. If it was bad, she didn't say anything. She called him sweetie. Well, she called everyone sweetie so that probably didn't mean anything. His heart rate started to pick up. His hands were fidgeting and his he began to bounce his legs back and forth. He recognized these as signs of anxiety. What was he anxious about? He went over possibilities in his head. Well, for one, he had little to no skill at trying to read someone's mood or emotions, so he had no clue what Penny was thinking. His experience on an emotional level with females was really only with his mother and sisters and even then he was utterly useless. He made a note to research techniques on how to improve emotional perception.

A young couple walking on the sidewalk caught his attention. They were going at a slow pace, laughing and holding hands. The girl kept looking up at her companion with a wide smile. She was short and brunette, with bone structure similar to Penny. Her outfit reminded her of something she might wear and his focus turned to the guy. He was tall and had the frame of someone who could lift a lot of weight without any hesitation. His skin was tan and he had tattoos on his forearms. Something clicked inside Sheldon and he frowned. He had not calculated this into his hypothesis. He had accepted that he had feelings for Penny, had decided to come and see her and approach the subject delicately, but he did not include a very obvious, result-changing factor. Penny's feelings.

He could feel the perspiration on his brow. This was not good. He rapidly replayed every guy he'd ever seen her with. They all had one thing in common. None of them had any physical features similar to his own (except maybe height). This was really not good. He had never really thought of Penny as someone who might judge on looks until now. There was the possibility that she wasn't shallow and it was just coincidence that all her previous companions were of similar looks. But then he remembered coincidence was a term only for people who didn't understand the numbers. Damn it. This thought brought him to the perceived personality traits of her former dates. He admitted he didn't know a single thing about any of them (save that de-evolved imbecile who pantsed him when they first met) but he would deduce that they had very little in common with himself. Red Flags went up.

His felt his chest tightening. If he was still in the dark about all this emotional turmoil he was experiencing, he would have assumed it was congestive heart failure. He imagined a scenario where he told Penny his feelings and she burst out laughing in his face. Ow. His chest got tighter. This was a horrible idea. It was the most irrational experiment he'd ever attempted in his whole life. Wait. What if Penny reciprocates? It could turn out to be a mutually beneficial experience. Oh my God. How would Howard or Raj react? Or Leonard? There were so many variables he had left out. He cursed Penny. It was her fault he was so scatter-brained. He looked back toward the restaurant. Great. She just walked out the door. What was he going to do? Forget this whole thing and ignore his feelings or take a risk and more than likely get his...what was the term? Heart broken? That would have to do. He didn't have time to find a more suitable expression.

*****

Penny took several deep breaths as she made her way slowly to her car. These events were happening too fast and were too bizarre. She knew two things for sure about Sheldon right now, he was lonely and he chose her over his friends. That wasn't much to go on. Lonely she got. As far as she knew the last time he saw Leonard or Raj or Howard was early Friday, maybe at work. He saw her Friday night and early this afternoon, so one would think he'd want to see his other friends right? But he chose her, taking a CAB to get to her, even though she would be home within an hour. He said to her twice "you were here." What the hell was going through his head??? It was driving her mad.

And holy hell, that look he gave her. It caused her to drop her things. It caused her to struggle to move, breathe or think. She had seen looks similar to that, usually when an alcohol fueled night was winding down at her apartment with some guy she just met, and what usually followed that look was her shirt flying off. Oh god, why did she think that? An image of waking up next to Sheldon popped in her brain and she could've died from embarrassment. Half of her was trying to convince the other half that these were some obvious signs that Sheldon was interested in her. The other half was too busy ignoring anything it heard by trying to stab the first half to death.

She half-heartedly considered just flat-out asking him about it. It would give her some peace of mind to know the truth. But there was the (high) possibility he would completely reject the notion. And thinking about being rejected by Sheldon would be worse than all her other break-ups combined. Not because of the depth of the feelings she had for him (she refused to dwell on how deep those were) but because it would a terrible blow to her self-esteem. It was just too much to think about right now. She just needed to get through this car ride with him alive.

She took one last deep breath and opened the door to get in. She put her seat belt on, started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Come on, Penny. She could do this. "So you were so bored by yourself you decided to see ime/i?" Whoops. That came out a little too accusatory.

He shifted in his seat. "I wasn't bored. I just decided that I'd like to see you. We're friends. I felt like...hanging out."

She laughed. Sheldon using slang was so funny. "Alright. I'll accept that. What did you want to do?"

"I don't really care."

"Well, it's Sunday. There's a new Simpsons on tonight. We can get pizza."

"We can, if that's what you feel like doing."

She had to look over at him. He was looking at her too, his hands in his lap. This was new. Sheldon usually dictated everything. He was being unusually agreeable. She made a mental note and decided to see how far she could run with it.

"Then maybe we can play a little one-on-one Halo." She smiled to herself, pleased with the euphemism she thought of that only she would get. She was sure he would decline Halo. He had never really gotten over how naturally skilled she was it. She was better than him.

He cleared his throat. Aha! He was gonna say no. "Perhaps would could play co-op instead. It would be much more interesting than a single battle. Plus, I anticipate the thrill of beating me several times over would wear off quickly."

She did not expect that. While he didn't agree to her idea, he proposed a compromise and officially acknowledged that she was better than he was at something. Yes, something was definitely wrong with him. Very wrong indeed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The pizza box from Giacamo's was flipped open on the living room table. Sausage, mushroom and light olives. Just like he liked it. Just like she happened to like it to. He was sitting in his spot, of course, sipping from a bottle of water as the opening title for the Simpsons started playing. He was still anxious, but being in his familiar surrounding was hedging it a bit. He watched from the couch as Penny dug around in the refrigerator for something to drink. She had changed out of her uniform to her usual lounge wear of tank top and matching shorts. Shorts that he noticed we very short. She had very nice legs. The contour of the thighs suggest very strong femurs... He turned his attention back to the tv. Inappropriate thoughts be gone.

She settled on the opposite end of the couch, sitting sideways with her legs taking up the space between them. He couldn't help but think if Wolowitz was here he'd be at that end and Penny would be sitting right next to him. But that was ok. She was here with him. That was good enough. They watched the show without conversation, laughing at the same parts. During the first commercial break Penny stretched her legs out, barely touching his thigh with her socked toes. He tensed up, overcome with the urge to rub his hands up her smooth shins. He decided that would be a little too forward so instead he just asked her who her favorite Simpsons character was.

"That's a hard one. There's so many to choose from. Homer is the obvious one. But I've always a soft spot for Milhouse. He kills me. What about you?"

"Aside from Homer, like you said being obvious, I've always felt a kinship with Lisa. And Martin." She just smiled at him and nodded.

The commercials ended and they both turned the attention back to the show. Once it was over, Sheldon set up the X-Box for some Halo action. They played together on story mode for a few missions, to "get warmed up" as Penny put it before tackling battles on x-box live. Penny was now sitting up, hunched over, her tongue playing in the corner of her mouth as she hit the buttons. He kept getting distracted by her movements, automatically looking over, every time her body shifted, his focus always seeming to start at her face, down her neck to her shoulders, following the arm and the hands holding the controller. He never really paid attention to how small in stature she was til now. She looked almost frail. He suppressed the impulse to put his arm around her and hold her closer. These sudden urges were beginning to get a tad bit irksome to him. He imagined it wouldn't be so bad if he could actually act upon them.

They took a short break to rest their tired fingers. He excused himself to the restroom. When he came back into the living room he found Penny standing up, looking at the Psychology book he had carelessly left out. He was sent into immediate panic mode until he realized his notes were in his notebook, which was sitting safely on his computer desk. He casually walked over to it and placed it deep within a pile of notes and books.

"Were you reading this recently?"

*****

He didn't answer her immediately. She bounced the book back and forth, staring at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yes. Today, actually."

"Why?" she asked, putting the book back down on the edge of the table.

"Despite how it might seem, I do occasionally refresh my studies on something other than physics. Though it's not nearly as important, its still good to be caught up in other areas." He picked up the controller and turned back to the tv.

There was something about the way he answered that gave the feeling he was holding something back. She debated on asking him more, worried she might make him angry and thats the last thing she wanted to do. She was enjoying this alone time with him so much and didn't want to screw it up. She let it go and grabbed her controller. She made a split second decision before she back down, holding her breath as she sat down right next to Sheldon instead of on the end. He didn't say anything. Nice.

They started a long battle, one with 8 players on each team. The objective was first team to get 100 kills or the most kills within the 30 minute time frame. She made herself concentrate completely on the game, determined to destroy the other team. The kill totals kept tying, putting pressure on her to outperform everyone and win the match.

"Sheldon, watch out. There are some assholes in a warthog just mowing down everyone in the open," she said. She was frustrated and put out a silent vendetta against those two.

"I've got the sniper rifle. I'm far from where they can get me," he added calmly.

It was getting very intense. She was on the very edge of the couch now, completely engulfed in the war. She was running and shooting this one character who seemed to know every move she was about to do. He was taken out with a headshot. She noticed on the screen it was Sheldon who took him out. She reached over without thinking and patted him on the leg.

"Nice one," she said, smiling.

*****

Sheldon's body practically hummed when she touched him. He lost focus for a second too long and one of the opposition blew him up with a rocket launcher. He didn't care. It was worth it. He re-spawned outside of the opposing base. He noticed several soldiers guarding a few of the vehicles.

"Penny, get into one of the aircrafts and attack the base. They are dense there."

"On it."

He was thoroughly enjoying watching Penny from the corner of his eye. She seemed to be immersing herself completely, jumping and swaying with her character on the screen, spitting out little anecdotes when she blew someone up. She was hunched over so far on the edge of the couch that her shirt was riding up, exposing a small tattoo right at the small of her back. How long had that been there? He felt bad staring, so he averted his eyes upward, following her spine to the base of her neck. She had pinned her hair up in a "messy bun", leaving her neck open for all to see. One of those irritating urges came back and all he could think about was placing lips gently where her neck met her shoulders.

"Sheldon, help us! We're down by 5!"

He snapped out of it and focused extra hard on the game.

*****

The clock had only 3 minutes left. They were still down by three. Penny was practically hovering off the couch, cursing everyone who had ever donned the color blue. She was not ready to lose this fight. It had turned personal now. She was searching frantically for anyone to kill but kept coming up empty handed. 1 minute left. They were tied. She was vaguely aware of Sheldon and the fact that he not really moved from his spot. Maybe she just got too animated about the game. Whatever, she didn't care.

30 seconds left. She started to have a mini panic attack. 15 seconds. The score was stilled tied. She heard a chuckle escape from Sheldon. She glanced at his screen to see that he just launched a rocket that killed three people with the one shot. The clock ran down and they won. She was so excited. It was more gratifying that when her basketball team won the regional championship in middle school.

"Sheldon! That was insane! I can't believe you got a triple kill at the last second!" She bounced back against the couch and playfully punched his leg repeatedly. He was leaning forward on the couch, looking at the achievements he had just unlocked. The thrill of victory was so sweet. He deserved a medal in real life or something for his amazing contribution. So she then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

He dropped his controller on the floor and froze.

*****

Did that actually transpire just now? Did she really just kiss him on the cheek? He forced himself to look over at her. She was biting her lip, blushing from her ears down past her tank top. That would be a good indicator that yes, she had done that. What did he do now? What was protocol? He knew what he wanted to do but he feared that it would give him away and he wasn't ready to try and deal with deeply hurt feelings so soon after realizing the good ones. Quick, Sheldon! Say something!

"Well, it seems someone is a little excited about that victory". He smiled at her.

She smiled back, her color returning slowly to normal. "I'm sorry. Just got a little carried away."

"I don't mind. That's what Halo can do to you."

She giggled. It was a sound he wasn't sure he ever heard from her. Different than the other giggles and laughs she usually emitted. "Well, don't worry. I won't let it happen again."

"I wouldn't mind a bit if it did."

He silently cursed his brain for not filtering that before it slipped out and looked away from her.

*****

She stared at him. Did he really just say that? She must have heard him wrong. Well, maybe she didn't. He was looking away from her...was he blushing? Oh my god, he was. Shit, what did she do now? Think Penny, think! "You're blushing." Wow, that was genius. Way to go.

He didn't look back at her. "I was afraid of that."

"Why are you blushing?"

"Its a physiological response that can occur when one is embarrassed. You were just blushing a second ago. After you kissed my cheek."

"Well, yeah..." She cursed him. He didn't miss anything.

"Why were you blushing?"

She bit her lip. What was he just said? "Because its a philosophical response that can occur when one is embarrassed." That sounded right to her.

He finally turned to her and started laughing. "What's the saying? Close but no cigar?"

"What?"

"It's physiological. Not Philosophical. But you get an A for effort."

What? He was correcting her but his tone wasn't condescending. It was light. She felt the one half of her screaming in her ears to get the hint. The other half was thrusting the knife at it but it was too quick. The evidence was starting to get hard to ignore. Her stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself. The suspense was going to kill her, she was sure of it. She wanted so badly to just grab him by the back of the neck... No. Stop thinking like that. It's Sheldon. Sheldon Cooper. Dr. Sheldon Cooper. The surprisingly sweet and cute once he opens up a bit Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Oh god. This was useless. She was fighting a losing battle. The first half of her had taken the knife out of the hands of the second.

"Sheldon, I need to..."

"Penny..."

They both tried to speak at once. The both stopped and just stared at each other, neither able to continue.

Sheldon's phone rang. She watched as he struggled to answer it.

"Hello. Yes. There's some left over pizza if you want. You can just pull the cheese off. Ok. Bye." He pressed the end button and looked at her. "Leonard's on his way home.

She didn't want to leave but something told her to take this interruption as a chance to hold it off. It killed her to say it. "It's getting late. I should probably head home."

He nodded. Wait, is that disappointment on his face? Does he not want her to go? "Yes. I guess we let time slip away from us." He stood up and sighed.

She grabbed her keys and headed for the door. He followed, opening it for her. He was so close to her, so easy for her to just turn around and grab...the warmth spread like wildfire. She walked across the hall and unlocked her door. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, turning back to him. He was leaning against the door frame.

"Sleep well," he said before shutting the door.

Those two words made the air catch in her throat.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sheldon lay wide awake in his bed. When she left he tidied up a bit, showered and went straight to his room. He heard Leonard come in not long after that but didn't get up to greet him. He'd see him in the morning. That, of course, would be if he ever fell asleep. He wasn't really irked by the insomnia. The cause of it was a lovely thing. Penny was a lovely girl. He relived the pat on the leg, the kiss on the cheek, her rosy red hue afterward. She had been about to say something before that phone call interrupted. He wondered what it could've been. He himself was about to tell her something as well. Although he wasn't so confident yet to lay his newly evolved heart on the line so soon. No, he was just going to let her know that he really enjoyed her company. And that he would like to do it again. Soon.

Damn it! What was she about to say to him? He was tossing and turning going over possible scenarios in his head. Part of him was hoping she was about to address the changing dynamics of their relationship. To say that she too had recognized the desire to be "more than friends". The thought made him smile. But what if wasn't that? What if she somehow derived from his behavior the root cause of it and was about to let him know that she didn't feel the same? He imagined she would do it gently and humane, but that didn't really make him feel any less queasy about it. He tried to calculate what the odds were of Penny having any level of romantic interest in him. Drat! Too many variables. Human emotions should have some sort of number equivalency.

So he started listing off things he noticed that were a little bit different. Well, tonight she kissed him. Blushed because of it. Patted him on the leg various times. Chose to sit exactly next to him even though the end of the couch was open. Agreed to spend her evening with him. Seemed happily surprised to see him at her work. Shocked by his admission that he would rather see her than his friends. Appeared to be flustered this morning when she saw him. Didn't instantly pull away when he caught her on the stairs. Took him to the store even though she was exhausted. Was that enough evidence to support the idea of Penny being interested in him? Ugh, he hated this. Hated not being able to use his incredibly gifted mind to determine if the pretty girl next door liked him. He hated not having any access into the female mind. Or did he?

He crept out of bed into the living room to retrieve his laptop. Leonard was, as far as he could hear, taking a shower. He quickly grabbed it and ran back into his room. He pulled up google and typed in the phrase "how to tell if a woman likes you". He clicked on the first link and started reading. "Women smile a lot when they like someone." Ok, Penny smiles a lot all the time. He thought about today. She did seem to be in an awfully cheery mood when he came to the Cheesecake Factory. And he remembered right before her shift she seemed to be less contented. This was good. "Women will also occasionally touch you when they are interested." Yes, she had touched his leg several times and kissed him on the cheek. Good. "Don't forget that a woman will also show you the proper body posture. Typically that means she keeps herself facing you, has her feet pointed to you and her face is often looking in your direction." He remembered when she sat on the couch she sat sideways, her legs and feet pointed to him. Another good sign. "A Woman interested in you may show signs of nervousness like nervous laughter, fidgeting or blushing." She did let out an interesting giggle. And she blushed (beautifully) several times.

To verify this information he visited several other sites on the same topic. They all had the same basic signs on there. He wasn't completely at ease trusting them due to their lack of citations, but he found it hard to discredit so many sites with the same information. He closed the laptop and sighed. The odds seemed to be in his favor, but he still didn't feel at ease. He heard Leonard shut his bedroom door. The clock on his nightstand read 11:11 p.m. He had read somewhere that superstitious people often made a wish at this time. He closed his eyes and made a silent wish. He felt silly, but anything, even something that preposterous, couldn't hurt his chances.

******

Penny had already decided that she was gonna go against her brain and talk to Sheldon about this...situation. She probably would've continued to pine (and curse herself for it) silently if the things that happened today didn't happen. That pessimistic half of her was long defeated. The only problem she faced now was how to go about it. He was still Sheldon after all, no matter how different he seemed to be, and things must be handled properly. Yes, there was that tiny voice of doubt in the very back of her mind that screamed she was imagining things. He was easily ignored when she replayed everything that happened today. It was just too much to overlook. And she didn't want to anymore. She would've already had this monster off her chest if stupid Leonard hadn't called and interrupted them.

What was he about to say anyway? They had both started to talk at the same time. She knew what she was gonna tell him but no clue what he was going to say to her. If body language was any indicator, she would've guessed something very important and extremely personal. But that was body language for normal people. Sheldon was not normal. Or maybe he was. Maybe when it came down to emotions, Sheldon was like everyone else. It's just that as long as she had known him he had never really shown any indicators of being capable of feelings like this. And from what the boys have said he's never had them about anyone. Ever. She smiled at the thought of her being the first.

She looked at her cell phone. It was nearly 1 a.m. That was it. There was no way she was going to be able to get any sleep tonight. She had to get it off her chest as soon as possible or it was going to kill her. Literally kill her. She was sure of it. The easiest way would be to march right over there and wake him up and lay it on him but that wouldn't be very wise. Sheldon did not like his sleep interrupted. So she decided on the next best thing to do. It would also save her some embarrassment. She would put it on paper. This did seem a little high school-y but she didn't care at this point. She got out her Hello Kitty notebook and scribbled down a note that was short and to the point.

"Sheldon, This may seem completely out of left field (for both of us, I assure you) but I have come to realize that I have feelings for you. I had to get it off my chest. 3 Penny."

There. Now all she had to do was give it to him. She slipped out of bed and put her slippers on. She crept into the hallway and bent down in front of his door. Wait. What if Leonard was the one to find it? Oh God. She didn't want to think about the can of worms that could open. No, this had to be for Sheldon's eyes only. She could just wait and give it to him in person tomorrow but that thought embarrassed her. How could she get it to him tonight....aha! She had an emergency key to their apartment! She could just slip in quietly and stick it in his bedroom. He wasn't a very light sleeper from what she remembered. She had to shake him to wake him up last time. Why had he screamed danger then? Whatever. She had bigger things to worry about. She ran back to her apartment and grabbed their spare key. She had barely made it past her own door when she looked up to see Sheldon standing there in his dark blue pajamas, holding a piece of paper in his hand.

Neither one of them spoke. They just stood there, in front of their respective doors, staring at each other. She was the first to break the very awkward silence.

"Hey Sheldon. Getting some late night mailing done?"

He fidgeting nervously. "You know I might ask you the same question."

Silence again. They both looked down at the papers in their hands.

"Penny, I have to confess..."

"Sheldon, I need to tell you..."

They stopped again. Sheldon cleared his throat. "Ladies first."

Penny nodded and took a few steps forward, closing the space between them. She knew her face must be the brightest shade of red possible. Her chest was tight and she worried she might pass out from lack of oxygen. The moment of truth, just spit it out.

"Sheldon, I'm not sure how to say this...and for me that's really a first," she started. She couldn't look directly at him. Her mind was telling her to just look at his face but it was proving impossible. She continued, choosing her words very carefully. "But I've come to realize that my feelings for you have changed..." She stopped. She wanted this to come out right, but her brain wasn't much use right now. Just spit it out! "Sheldon I like you. A lot. And I mean that in a way that is more than just friendship." The breath she took was the most glorious one she'd ever felt. She forced herself to look at Sheldon.

He wasn't fidgeting anymore. He was staring at her with that same look he had given her at the restaurant. He took a step forward, closing the gap between them even more. He folded the paper in his hands and put it in his pocket. He sighed deeply before he spoke. Oh god, what was he thinking? Oh god, what was she thinking? She just knew this was a bad idea.

"I must admit that I am extraordinarily relieved by that. I think I may actually be able to breathe normally again," he said, grinning. "As you may imagine, this is something very difficult and foreign for myself as well. So I hope you can accept my inane response of 'ditto'."

******

She was so close to him now. Perhaps he had spoken too soon about being able to breathe normally. He was nervous now, not sure what they were supposed to do. So, for one of the first times in his life, Sheldon went with his gut.

He took a small step forward again, completely closing what was left of the gap between them. He reached out with both arms and hugged her, pulling her tightly to his body, but not so tight to restrict breathing. She responded immediately, hugging him back, laying her head on his chest. He caught that intoxicating scent of her hair again and shuddered. He slowly reached his right hand up and ran his fingers through it. She pulled her head back and looked at him, smiling. Her eyes were magnificent. Her lips were so beautiful. And inviting.

"Penny, may I kiss-"

She didn't let him finish his question. She stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him soft and slow. He was certain his brain completely un-hinged the moment their lips met. He was sure if someone were to ask him at that moment what two elements created water he couldn't tell them. All he could think of was the exhilarating stimulation happening to his body right now. She pulled back and put her feet back on the ground and gazed at him. He responded by bending his head down and their lips met again, this time a little more forcefully and with a little more movement. He was trying to remember everything he knew about the act of kissing, from what he read in books, to the techniques he had seen in movies. This was proving to be difficult so again he just turned his brain down again and went with the flow. Penny's hands were on his neck now, softly caressing his skin. One of her hands crept up, brushing lightly against jawline, moving around to his ear.

What happened next was completely involuntary to him. He had pulled away from her lips and grabbed her by the wrists, a little more emphatically than he should have, and backed her against the elevator doors, the action causing the loosely hung caution tape to fall. She stared at him with what he would have described as hungry eyes, biting her lower lip slightly. He put her arms down to her side, still clinging to her wrists and pressed his lips to her neck. She let out a very faint moan, the sharp exhalation of her breath blowing right onto his ear. He shuddered again and pulled his lips away and rested his forehead on her warm shoulder. They stayed like that a few moments, both slightly gasping before Penny did something he did not expect.

With her body still pressed completely against the elevator, she hitched her left leg up around him, grabbing his hand and placing it under her thigh for support.

******

She blushed deeply at her own actions, especially the look on his face when she did it. He gripped her thigh gently, kissing her again slowly and deeply. She was so astonished by how good of a kisser he was for someone who (until now) showed no interest in the like. She ran her fingers down his neck and against his ear again. He suddenly grabbed her other leg, hitching it up like the other, holding her up against the door. She was so taken aback that she let out a very audible gasp. But she went with it, wrapping her legs around his waist, her face now at the same level as his. The warmth she had been experiencing was now a full blown blaze. He kissed her harder now, parting her lips open wider with his tongue. She obliged and slid her tongue into his mouth.

They stayed in that position, her legs around his waist, his hands underneath her thighs, practically welded to the elevator door for what seemed like hours. He eventually pried himself from her long enough to sit her feet gently back down on the floor. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, marveling at how adaptable he seemed to the situation, how alluring his eyes had become, how utterly sublime his skin felt on hers. She wanted nothing more than to grab him by the belt of his robe and drag him into her bedroom, but knew things needed to move slow to work. Especially with him. The last thing she wanted was to give this poor man a heart attack.

"Well, that was not what I expected," she said, her arms around his neck. His face seemed to drop. She realized how that may have sounded. "No, honey. I didn't mean that in a bad way."

"I have to admit that while that was not my first endeavor with kissing, it is the first time I actually desired the contact. I see how, in comparison, it makes all the difference. I am, sadly a novice so if I'm not doing anything right..."

She kissed him quickly. "Shhh. You did everything right. Better than right."

He grinned at her. "What happens now?"

She thought for a second. "Well, first things first. We should get some sleep before the sun comes up. Secondly...I have no clue. We will have to sit down sometime tomorrow and figure this out. But I have to ask you to keep this to yourself. Do not tell Leonard. Or Raj. Or Wolowitz. Not a soul. At least not until we've talked. Promise me."

"I promise," he said. "Is it natural for me to not want to let you go right now?"

She blushed again. "Very. I feel the same. But it's really late. And if for some reason Leonard was to wake up this would be impossible to explain."

He frowned. "Yes. Yes it would." He started walking toward her door, forcing her to walk backward. "I do have a very important report that is due tomorrow. I guess it would be wise to get some sleep." He kissed her again.

"Uh huh. And I have the early shift tomorrow," she said, closing her eyes as he bent down and kissed her neck again.

He moved from the left side to the right. "When is your shift over?" He kissed from her neck down and across her bare shoulders.

She shuddered back against her door. "4," she breathed.

"I'll see you then," he said softly in her ear, kissing her cheek gently.

She forced herself to turn her doorknob and go inside. He stood in her doorway. "I can't wait. Good night, Sheldon."

"Good night, Penny." He turned and walked back toward his door.

She couldn't help herself. She ran back out and kissed him one last time.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Penny was absolutely convinced that time was moving backwards and her shift would never end. Why she agreed to work a few extra hours this afternoon was beyond her. Maybe she was starting to make more rational decisions with her life. Stay two hours and make more money for bills or skip home at 4 just to see her...well, to see Sheldon. What he _was_ exactly was still unknown. She practically flew out of the door and into her car when the clock hit 6 p.m. She knew she had one hour to get home, changed and over to Leonard and Sheldon's place for Wii Bowling. She never actually played with them since they had their whole team setup, but she did enjoy watching from the couch. Even in the virtual world they were terrible at sports. When she got home she found a note under her door. Based on the precise folding of the paper she knew who it was from. She smiled to herself, going back again (for the six thousandth time) to the events of last night.

"Dear Penny, As you already know tonight is Wii Bowling Night. I am greatly looking forward to your presence tonight but I must warn you that due to the promise I made to you regarding the silence of our new development, I may seem as if I am ignoring you. This is only to keep up appearances because I know as soon as I see you I will no doubt be extremely aware to the fact that you are near me. I will also no doubt desire to reenact the events of early this morning, as I have all day. Please do not distress over my feigned coldness. - Sheldon"

She laughed. This should be interesting, seeing as how she too was completely ready to pick up where they left off. She was a little nervous putting on her own act but calmed a little when she remembered that it would just be Raj, Howard and Leonard there. She doubted their ability to pick up on anything. She put the note on her dresser and changed her clothes, her pulse speeding up at the thought of seeing Sheldon for the first time today. At 6:45 she was ready, taking a very deep breath before heading across the hall. As usual, she didn't knock, just let herself in. Raj was in the kitchen making a drink, Howard seemed to be stretching his hands and wrists, Leonard was sitting at his desk and Sheldon was sitting on the couch, staring at the Wii Menu screen. They were wearing their matching light blue bowling shirts. Sheldon looked over at her, his face slightly twitching, trying to contain a grin. She would've bet her heartbeat would have been visible through her shirt when their eyes locked. She forced herself to look away, winking at him before she did.

"Hey guys," she said, shutting the door and taking a seat next to Sheldon. He tensed up instantly, being very careful not to relax his legs in fear of touching her. She tried to suppress a giggle.

"Hey Penny," Leonard said, not turning from his computer.

"Good day, Penny. You look just as luscious as always," Howard said, giving her the same bedroom eyes she'd seen from him a thousand times before.

She rolled her eyes and was about to reply with a smart-ass comment but Sheldon cut her off. "Wolowitz, I would have hoped by now that you would have learned that your usually inappropriate comments will only result in brilliantly scathing remarks from Penny." Crap, this was gonna be harder than she thought. Everyone in the apartment turned to him. Penny could feel her skin slightly turning pink. She cleared her throat as nonchalantly as possible and Sheldon shifted in his seat. He looked at all of his friends and added, "The banter between you two is quite taxing on my nerves."

That seemed to satisfy them and the continued what they were doing. Sheldon began setting up the game. Penny couldn't help but smile. She whispered very low, knowing only he could here, "Nice save." He allowed himself a half-grin.

Everything went very smoothly for the rest of the night. She stayed seated on the couch, thumbing through a magazine just to have something for her hands to do. She tried to keep her attention equally divided amongst all four men but it proved difficult. Sheldon was obviously trying to do the same, acknowledging her only when she spoke. At one point Sheldon sat down immediately following his turn while the other three stood facing the tv. Penny, her eyes on the boys for any sign of movement, reached slowly over and traced a finger down Sheldon's exposed forearm. He shuddered and hopped up, turning his back to his friends, facing Penny and narrowed his eyes. He mouthed the words "You are not making this easy."

She mouthed back. "I know."

When Wii Bowling was over and Howard and Raj had left, Leonard excused himself to shower, leaving Penny and Sheldon alone on the couch.

"Well, that went well," she said. "You did very well."

"I assume you mean my acting regarding you and not my performance in the game, which was dismal as usual."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad. 80 is a totally respectable score. And yes, that's what I was referring to." She turned her body more toward him. "Since Leonard's in the shower we have some time to talk."

He shifted a bit and put a tentative hand on her knee. "I am not sure what we are supposed to talk about. I'm certain I don't have to remind you that I am a complete novice with this."

She couldn't help but grin. "Well, sweetie, you could start by saying how you feel about this-" she pointed back and forth between them.

He nodded. "It's terrifying." She instantly rested her hand on top of his, waiting patiently for him to elaborate. "I am inherently an emotional popsicle. But for the past two days I've been uncomfortable. I seem to be hypersensitive as to how I'm standing, how my appendages are angled, my tone and pitch. I have started to concern myself with worries of saying something off-putting in your company. It's quite peculiar."

"So you're a nervous wreck and don't want to act all spazzy in front of me?"

"Essentially."

"That's normal, Sheldon. I feel the same way with guys I like all the time."

"Do you feel that way presently?" His voice cracked a bit on the last word. He seemed worried.

"Right this very second? No. But this past weekend? Yes. Did you not notice?"

"There were a few idiosyncrasies that I observed. You were very skittish and everything I did seem to make you blush." He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, looking away. "Tell me something. It's been plaguing me all day. Out of all the potential partners that you no doubt could have your choice of, why elect me?"

She couldn't answer him right away. She wasn't sure she even _knew_ the answer to that. So instead of speaking, she propped herself up on her knees, grabbed him by his cheeks and kissed him very softly.

His eyes fluttered closed and he swallowed slowly. "That was all in all splendid, but you failed to answer my question."

"Sure I did. I just didn't speak."

"So you are saying that the kiss you just gave me was supposed to be an acceptable answer to the inquest?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Duh."

"Interesting. In the future, would your solely physical responses potentially be used as answers? And will I be expected to derive some sort of meaning from them?"

She nodded. Thank god he was a quick learner.

"That's good to know. However, due to the significant importance of what it was I asked, I would really like to hear it."

She sighed. None of her other boyfri... none of the other guys she spent time with ever cared about why she did it. Of course he would be different. "Well, despite your sometimes egomaniacal attitude, you can be very endearing. And charming. And funny if I pay close attention." She had her head cocked to the side and was studying his face. "You are generally not jerk, well not on purpose anyway. You've got nice eyes. And your ears are adorable."

"So you have an ear fetish?"

She laughed. He looked like a puppy. A super tall, confused puppy. "It's not a fetish. My god! Your ears are just...unique. They, I don't know...they fit your face."

"Oh. Ok then." He relaxed a bit. "Your ears are nice too."

She rolled her eyes again. "So what do you want to do about this?"

"Isn't the protocol usually to begin a romantic relationship?"

"Well, that's one way you could go..."

"What other way would there be? I know not from my own experience, but from observing various social behaviors from Leonard, you and my sisters, I learned that low-level personal connection and flighty one week long 'romances' end with the other person listening to horrible music, watching terrible films and gorging on things that are bad for you in large doses. I personally would like no part of that."

Penny took a second to catch up with him and was slightly shocked by this admission. "Sheldon, are you saying you want me to be your steady girlfriend?"

He shot a quick glance toward the bathroom door. The shower was still going strong. He turned back to her and smiled, bending forward quickly and kissing her.

"Did that answer your question?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sheldon had successfully executed answering her question with a non-verbal physical response. This was good. He locked that new bit of personal interaction into his brain. Penny was blushing again. She had just agreed to be his steady girlfriend. Boy, that would take some getting used to. Girlfriend. It even sounded weird in his head. He turned his attention back to his new _girlfriend_. What did they do now? From what he knew couples went on dates.

"Penny, would you like to go on a date sometime?"

She sighed deeply and shook her head. "No. Not at all."

He knew that tone from her. She was using sarcasm. He would do the same. "Well, good. I didn't want to take you out anyway."

She laughed and playfully slapped him on the hand. "Of course I would, silly. When?"

He went over his work schedule, his eating schedule and video game schedule. "Friday night would work. Are you working that night?"

"No, I have the day shift on Friday. So that will work. Let me guess, I'll be driving?"

"Naturally, unless you would rather spend our date in this apartment. Which I wouldn't suggest. It might raise questions."

Her expression suddenly changed to something along the lines of surprise. Terror? He couldn't quite place it.

"Sheldon, what should we do about that?"

He was sure he had just answered that by suggesting they go out. "Penny, I just proposed an option 15 seconds ago."

"No, not that! I mean about this. Should we tell everyone? Or lay low about it for a while? Oh my god, we won't hear the end of it!" She seemed panicked now.

He mulled it over a bit. It's true, if his friends were to find out about this they would surely ridicule him to no end. He remembered the kids on the playground when Emily had held his hand. They teased him relentlessly, always breaking into an embarrassing chorus of "Sheldon and Emily sittin' in a tree". He imagined his adult friends would be no less immature about it. There was also the high possibility that Leonard would be very distraught. Leonard seemed very happy with Stephanie and had grown less spastic and nervous around Penny over the last several months since their one and only date. Maybe he was over it. He didn't want to think of the reaction if he wasn't.

"Sheldon, the shower just went off," Penny warned, scooting to the end of the couch. He reacted a little too quickly, shooting up out of his seat and scurrying to the kitchen. He just stood there, looking at her with wide eyes. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "You looked like a giraffe just now."

"I'm glad you find my commitment to the promise _you_ asked me to keep so amusing. If you'd like I can go let Leonard know right now how easy it was to hold you against the elevator door with your legs wrapped around my waist," he replied in a hushed voice. He assumed victory with that comment based on Penny's reaction. She turned the brightest red he'd seen from her yet, opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again, folding her arms.

Leonard came out of the bathroom in his red robe and walked into the living room. "Hey Penny, I thought you went home."

"I was just about to. I was just getting some advice about Age of Conan from Sheldon," Penny said, standing up.

"Yes, apparently she's been having some difficulty with a Rouge Elf from Australia being completely insufferable. I gave her a quick lesson on how to deal with that," he added quickly.

"Ugh, I hate asshats like that," Leonard said. "Well, I'm going to bed. I didn't sleep well for some reason last night. Kept having these horrible nightmares. Night Penny. I'll see you in the morning, Sheldon." He went to his room and closed the door.

He watched as Penny headed to the front door. He frowned at the thought of her going home already. He checked the clock. It was only 9:30. "Where are you going?"

She stopped. "You have to get up early for work. I'm going home."

He didn't want her to. He'd only really spent a few minutes alone with her. He assumed that was not adequate time to spend with one's girlfriend. "I don't want you to."

She smiled at him. He noticed her hands began to play with the fabric at the bottom of her shirt. He saw a small glimpse of her stomach. His own gave a lurch. "Do you think Leonard's going to get back up?"

"It's possible but not probable," he answered, eyes stuck at her midsection. He suddenly had the urge to trace a circle around her belly button.

"Well, do you want to come over to my place then?"

"Yes," he answered quickly, walking toward the door with her.

*****

Penny was sitting on her couch next to Sheldon, tucked into the nook under his long arm. They were watching an episode of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel. Sheldon took it upon himself to explain why each experiment would succeed or fail before they actually did them, absentmindedly playing with the hair that fell on her shoulders. This was very relaxing to her and made it incredibly easy to tune most of the science jargon he was saying out. His explanations became less frequent as the episode went on and his hand started to drift down to her shoulders and arms.

"Your skin is quite soft," he said quietly. Her eyes started to get heavy as he continued to gently caress over her bare skin. She only let out a slight sigh in response. He kept at it, moving slowly up and down, back and forth until the show was over. The feeling was amazing. She could feel her head start to get fuzzy and knew if he kept it up she'd be asleep soon. He bent his head down and kissed her forehead. Her mind instantly switched to the night before and wanted nothing more than his mouth on hers. She sat up slowly and turned to face him.

"Sheldon?"

"Yes, Penny?"

She sat up on her knees to be at a better angle. She pressed her lips against his, soft at first, then a little bit harder, biting his bottom lip slightly before pulling away. He responded quickly, kissing her back , leaning forward slightly to reach her face. Her neck was already getting stiff from the angle she was sitting, so she swallowed hard and swung her leg across his lap, straddling him. His eyes widened but he said nothing, continuing to accept her kisses and giving them back, his hands limp at his side. She grabbed his wrist and put his hand on her hip. He seemed to understand then and did the same on the other side. She kissed from his lips, across his cheek and down to his neck, nibbling and sucking at the clean, smooth skin. He let out sharp breath and she felt his hips rock forward a bit. This involuntary movement added fuel to her already hot fire. She moved to the other side of his neck, repeating the same nibbles and kisses when she felt Sheldon's left hand slip under shirt. His cool hand rubbed the small of her back softly, his fingers clinching slightly when her teeth bit at his throat. She moved back to his mouth, hers open, tongue probing. He kissed back, mimicking her actions, his arms pushing her closer to him. She swung her hair to one side of her head and sat back a bit to look at him.

His face was a shade darker than usual. He was breathing deep and steady, looking past her shoulders at the wall behind her. He looked...shy. Unsure. She smiled and pressed her body against him tight, breathing onto his ear. His hips rocked again and she giggled. She nibbled on the bottom of his ear lobe and whispered "I take it you like that."

*****

He responded to her assumption by shifting sideways quickly and gently pushing her down onto the couch. He hovered over her a moment, making a mental note of her appearance, her hair spread everywhere, breathing deeply and her face giving off a sort of warm glow. She was beautiful. And she seemed a little shocked by what he just did. It wasn't his fault. She made him do it. He placed his hands, palms down, on either side of her head on the couch. He slowed the pace of what was happening, needing to attempt to put it to memory for future reference. This was difficult for him because most of his brain was screaming to remove her clothing with his teeth and procreate. He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the feeling of her supple lips and the smell of her silky skin. He would not rush this. He was not prepared for that sort of intimacy. Even if Penny was reaching down and grabbing the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up slowly...

He froze above her. He couldn't swallow. He felt moisture above his brow. He was sure his heart was going to burst out of his chest.

"Sweetie what's wrong?" she asked, putting a warm hand on his cheek.

His instincts were screaming at him to make something up. That the truth of the matter would be something that might cause great mortification. He tried to think of a medical condition that would legitimize his actions. He forced the lump in his throat down. He had no reason not to tell her the truth. "I was just hit with a strong wave of fright."

She sat up on her elbows. "Why?"

"You looked like you were about to take off your shirt."

She cleared her throat and looked away from him. "Well, I was."

"I don't think I'm ready for that just yet," he admitted, sitting back down on the couch. Something in her expression changed and he could tell she knew what he was talking about. Maybe that business about women's intuition wasn't just hokum.

"Oh, Sheldon. I'm sorry. Heat of the moment, you know..."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"...or not. I'm sorry. I tend to move too fast. If you aren't comfortable with the pace, just tell me, okay?"

He refused to look at her. Here he was a grown man and the act of woman taking her shirt off nearly sent him into cardiac arrest.

"Sheldon, sweetie. Can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"Are you a virgin?"

He sighed heavily and nodded again. "As I have stated before, this is the first time I have actively desired any intimate contact from another person." He might as well have had it etched on his shirt right under the Batman logo. He knew from several episodes of various teen comedies that the events to come would consist of Penny pointing and laughing at him. Not that he would have cared what someone thought of his decision to be abstinent, if this were two days ago. Now it worried him.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. I tell you what. I normally would want to dictate and initiate everything-"

"Yes, you are a big ol' five. I remember."

"But this isn't like my normal situations. So from now on, you are in control. How's that? I'll just roll with the punches on this one."

"Penny, are you saying that if I asked you to take me back to your bed right now you would say yes?"

She bit her lip. "Two minutes ago? Yes."

"So you've lost any sexual desire to be with me now."

"Of course not! It's just... you are not like any other guy I've been with before. And I'm not just talking about sex here. None of my relationships have ever worked out," she grabbed his hand. "Sheldon, I've always had the worst luck with guys. You being unlike all the others is a good thing. I don't want to screw this up. That means taking things slow. I just didn't think about that til now."

Her pupils were normal. He couldn't feel an increased pulse. She was telling the truth. This relieved some of the knots in his stomach. He couldn't think of anything to say so he just nodded again. He was starting to feel like his William Shatner bobblehead doll.

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "It's getting late. I know you have to get up early. Go home and get some sleep, okay? I don't want that great big sexy brain of yours to be at anything under 100%." She stood up and pulled on his arms to get him off the couch.

"You know that's not really accurate. My brain is no bigger than average," he said, standing up.

She just rolled her eyes and hugged him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Penny spent most of the afternoon napping. She had been exhausted from late night movies, make-out sessions on her couch and from work. She was off today and was anxious for Sheldon to get home, so she decided the best way to pass time would be sleep. And sleep she did. There were no limits for her nap. She stripped to her underwear, fluffed up every pillow and grabbed her extra comforter. She pinned up the darkest curtains she had to block almost all the light from her windows. This was gonna be intense. She propped her fan up on a chair, setting it on low so it would blow gently up her body, starting at the legs. That's how she liked it. With the conditions perfect (it happened to be raining outside) it took no time for her to slip into slumberland. She stretched and turned in her sleep, snoring softly. She had set her alarm on her phone to wake her up at 4pm so she could greet Sheldon and Leonard when they got home from work. She just didn't anticipate that she would sleep right through it.

*****

Sheldon knocked his usual knock on her door around 5:30. When she didn't answer he used the emergency key to let himself in. He knew she was home, her car was in the parking lot. The apartment was dark. She had all the blinds closed. He didn't see her anywhere in the living room. He heard the hum of a fan coming from her room. He stopped himself from going straight in there. There was no telling what she might be doing and to walk right in would be rude. He knocked gently. When he heard no response he slowly opened the door and saw her on the bed.

The first thing his brain registered was that she had no slacks on. His eyes followed the bare skin from the purple of her toenail polish to the light pink of her Hello Kitty underwear. The second thought was that she looked so peaceful, even if she was sprawled diagonal on the bed, hair completely disheveled and snoring. She should really get that checked by an otolaryngologist. He quietly closed the bedroom door and stepped toward the bed. He didn't want to wake her but her skin was too inviting to leave. He sat down gently on her bed and lay next to her. He wasn't touching her, just watching her sleep, slightly entranced by the movement of her chest as she breathed. He nearly jumped up when she suddenly let out a loud snore, turned on her side quickly, resting her arm on his chest. He couldn't understand why this didn't wake her up.

She snuggled up to him tighter and he just remained very still. It was slightly uncomfortable, having his arm pinned next to his body. If he moved it she would surely wake up. He could feel the slightly increased body temperature she emitted. She nuzzled her head against his arm and wrapped her very exposed leg around his body, her femur running adjacent to his waist line. To his horror, her pelvic region was now resting against the back of his hand at his side. He could feel something even warmer then. He compelled his highly improper thoughts to something else. Such as stopping all blood flow to that hand and paralyzing it. Like how nice the fan felt on his face. He would never sleep with one blowing on him though. The amount of germs and dust it ruffles up is alarming. Not to mention how quickly the air would dry out the sinuses. Perhaps that's why Penny was snoring. He would have to warn her about it when she was awake. Which would be soon, he was sure of it. He did not know how she might react to opening her eyes to him laying there, uninvited, in her room. He felt a little pain in his stomach. He didn't want to upset her. He would get up and just wait at his place for her to wakeup.

Come on, Sheldon. Get up. Why was this so difficult? He was sending the right instructions from his brain to his muscles. They just were ignoring him. Instead, he reached over and grabbed her comforter, covering the lower half of her body and part of his own since she was on it. He rested his free hand at his side, but wasn't able to resist the leg across his body. He ran his hand slowly up her calf, around her knee and (after taking a large gulp of air) up her thigh. The sound the escaped her was wonderful. He changed from having his palm flat to using just his fingertips. She made the noise again. Then she said his name. Was she dreaming about him? The idea made him smile. Wait, she was starting to stir. What did he do? It didn't matter what he agreed on, his body wouldn't let him move. She stretched and groaned next to him before finally fluttering her eyes open. He held his breath, ready for her to jump up and berate him. To his relief, when she looked up at his face she smiled.

"I'm sorry Penny. I came to check on you since it was 5:30 and you had not called or made an appearance at the apartment. I found you in here and I couldn't resist," he spat out quickly.

She wrinkled her nose and yawned, propping herself on her shoulders. She looked she was trying to solve an equation in her head. "What time is it now?"

He looked at his watch. It was almost 6:15. Had he really laid there for 45 minutes? It didn't seem like it. "Almost quarter after six," he answered.

She shot up quickly. She threw back the covers and looked down, just realizing how she had her leg around him. "My bad," she said and moved it so she could sit up.

"No worries. Truth be told I enjoyed it," he said, sitting up as well. "Would you like to have dinner with Leonard and I? We're ordering Chinese."

"Yeah. Let me throw some clothes on and I'll be over."

He frowned. "Do you have to? I know I wouldn't mind if you came over as you are. I'm sure Leonard wouldn't care either."

She hit him on the arm. "Whatever. Go and tell Leonard what I want. I'll be over in like ten minutes."

He stood up and headed for the door. He turned back to her, amused at how wild her hair was, yet still beautiful. "You have exactly ten minutes. Any more and I will forced to retrieve you myself."

She shook her head. "Remember our deal. That may seem a little suspicious. I'll see you in a few."

He nodded and went back to his place.

*****

Penny was in the kitchen with Leonard, getting a drink and some napkins when someone knocked on the door. She didn't think twice about it, assuming it was Raj and Howard, but was surprised to see it was actually Stephanie. She waved hello to her and continued pouring her soda. Penny really liked Stephanie. After their very awkward introduction and explanation of how Leonard and her were just friends, Stephanie warmed up a bit. Penny knew (because she was a woman) that she would always be a little leery of her but that was understandable. She didn't take it personal. She watched her kiss Leonard.

"Hello Penny. How are things?" Stephanie asked, grabbing a bottle of water.

"Oh you know. Work, sleep, work some more. Same as always," she responded.

"Really? Nothing new at all?"

Penny heard a hint of accusation in her voice. "Not really. Why?"

"You just seem to have this glow about you. I figured maybe something exciting had happened."

Uh oh. Woman's intuition. If anyone would notice it would be Stephanie. She had not thought about that. She just smiled and shook her head. "Not yet."

Sheldon was already in his spot working on separating orders. Stephanie walked over to the couch and sat right next to him, leaving the end open for Leonard who was still in the kitchen. Sheldon snapped his head up and looked at her. "That's where Penny sits."

Stephanie just stared at him. "What? Has she gone crazy like you now?"

Penny had to think fast. "Oh god no. I'm just going to take the chair."

Sheldon looked hurt. "But you always sit next to me when the couch is fully occupied."

"Yes, when it's just us and the boys. But I'm sure Stephanie would like to sit next to Leonard," Penny said, attempting to telepathically warn Sheldon.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped. Penny could have sworn she saw a muscle in his jaw twitch. Stephanie, however, was now looking back and forth at her and Sheldon, an odd expression on her face. She didn't say anything and just took her food. Leonard sat down next to her and they ate in almost silence while watching the World Nightly News.

"So, what have you two kids been up to?" Penny asked.

Leonard swallowed his food. "We went to see Revolutionary Road."

"Was it any good?" she asked.

"Yes," Stephanie said.

"Not at all," Leonard said.

Stephanie turned to Leonard. "Oh whatever! You just didn't like it because there were no explosions, or robots, or super powers involved."

"By the sounds of it, I wouldn't like it either," Sheldon chimed in.

Leonard rolled his eyes. "It was a total chick flick. And you know it."

Stephanie huffed and turned back to Penny. "It was good. Very gripping."

"Stephanie, do you know any good otolaryngologists?" Sheldon asked, completely changing the subject.

"For general check-up? Or for a specialist issue?"

"Perhaps both. It's to test for sleep apnea," he said.

"Jesus, Sheldon. You do not have sleep apnea," Leonard said, rolling his eyes. "You don't make a sound when you sleep. You lay really still and look like Dracula."

Penny laughed. She had heard many stories and witnessed a few herself about Sheldon when Stephanie is around. He was constantly coming up with ailments he could potentially have and asking Stephanie to check it out. He could be quite the hypochondriac.

"Leonard, Dracula is often portrayed by a very strong, pale skinned man with long, black hair. Aside from my somewhat fair complexion, I share none of those attributes," Sheldon quipped. "Besides, I wasn't asking for me. I was asking for Penny."

Penny shot a quick look at him. He wanted her to see a doctor? What for? What was it he said, odor-enjo-ologist? What did they do?

Stephanie looked at Penny. "Have you been having signs of possible sleep apnea?"

Penny wasn't sure what to say. Before she could think of anything, Sheldon answered. "Possibly. She was snoring loudly. I theorized it could be that. She did, however, have a fan blowing toward her face so it could've been just dried out sinuses."

Leonard shot a weird look to Sheldon. "How do you know that?"

Sheldon looked at Penny. She was horrified, unable to say anything. "When I went over earlier to ask her about dinner, she was asleep. I noticed it then," he said.

Penny saw nothing in his answer that could be interpreted otherwise. That was a nice answer, technically true but it was still enough to give her a mini panic attack.

"I would put money on the fan being the cause. Have you ever been prone to snoring before?" Stephanie asked her.

"Not that I am aware of."

"Then I wouldn't worry about it."

Penny wasn't worried in the first place. Sheldon obviously was and she thought it was sweet. She glanced over at him to see him looking back at her. They quickly looked away. She needed to change the subject.

"Sheldon, what happened to your neck?" Stephanie asked suddenly.

Sheldon instantly sat his plate down and put his hands to his neck, panicked. "What? What is it?"

Stephanie pulled at his collar a bit, exposing deep purple marks toward the base of his neck and onto his shoulders. Marks that Penny had made. Shit. She closed her eyes and said a silent pray and hoped Sheldon could think of something. When she opened them back up, Sheldon was looking at Stephanie, his expression blank. Shit! That's when Leonard became interested.

"How did you that?"

Sheldon's mouth was open but no words were coming out. Shit!!!

"They look like hickies." Stephanie said.

Leonard started laughing. "Right. Sheldon, did you fall on a vacuum hose or something?"

Penny laughed nervously. She was hoping her face wasn't blushing. Stephanie looked at her and back at Sheldon, who then turned to Penny and looked helpless. "Sheldon, do you think that's what happened when you ran into the cabinet the other day?"

He nodded and turned back to Stephanie. "Oh right. I was putting dishes away while listening to a lecture on my ipod and hit my neck and shoulder on the corner. It didn't really cause that much pain, but I tend to forget how easily I bruise. It's not Willebrand disease, I've checked. My blood clots normally. It's due to my inadequate layer of body fat."

Stephanie was still looking at his neck. "Why is it covering both sides?"

He started blinking very fast. "I hit both sides."

Stephanie let go of his collar and gave a knowing look to Penny. There was no way she could know. Leonard excused himself to the bathroom. Sheldon walked to the kitchen for something else to drink. Penny couldn't look at Stephanie. She had a terrible poker face.

"Very strange," Stephanie said, low enough that only Penny could hear. "I saw teeth marks."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sheldon showed Penny to the door when the evening was coming to an end. She asked in a whisper if he would be over later and he just nodded, closing the door quickly. Stephanie and Leonard had retired to his room for some privacy so he busied himself with picking up around the living room and loading the dishwasher. He was taking extra time and care with his cleaning, enjoying the simplicity of the act, reveling in the fact that cleaning didn't require secret keeping. He gave a half-hearted thought of running into the corner of the cabinet on purpose, just to make his lie from earlier seem more plausible. He stopped when he realized that there was no guarantee the mark would be similar enough the ones he already had. Plus, it would probably hurt like the dickens.

He heard Leonard's bedroom door close and Stephanie came out, looking slightly flushed. He'd seen her like this before. He would bet they just finished being intimate. He immediately imagined what Penny would like after that. He shook the thought and continued wiping the counters down with disinfectant wipes. Stephanie walked up and leaned over on the island in the kitchen, staring at Sheldon. It made him uncomfortable.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Sheldon, what really happened?"

He was not expecting her to ask that. He averted his eyes back to the counter. "I'm not sure what you are talking about."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Don't be coy with me. Who gave you those love bites?"

"Love bites? As I said before, I ran into the corner of the cabinet." He could feel the muscles in his face twitch.

"Sheldon..."

He looked at the ceiling. "That's my name. Please don't deteriorate it or I will require you to purchase me a new one."

"Sheldon Cooper, you are lying to me. I know you are."

He could feel his eye joining his jaw in the twitching. Damn his inability to hide physiological responses when he lied! "As I said

before, I ran into the corner of the cabinet," he repeated, voice a little shaky.

She walked toward him, backing him into the counter. "Sheldon, tell me the truth."

"No! It's a secret!"

She smiled. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

He wasn't going to be able to resist her. It was easier when he wasn't being confronted with it. What was going to happen? He knew he was going to tell Stephanie. Would Stephanie keep the secret? Would she tell Leonard? He knew that he would tell Penny that he told Stephanie. Would Penny be mad? Would she end their relationship? He imagined an argument. He would bring up that they discussed the fact that they would have to tell someone eventually. He would procure a gift as a peace offering.

"Sheldon..."

"Ok! Stephanie, what I am about to divulge to you must not leave this kitchen. You are not allowed to tell anyone. Especially Leonard."

Stephanie's eyes grew large. She was intrigued now. Why do women love secrets? They just make things complicated. "He's in there asleep. Go on. I promise."

"Wait. Give me a moment," Sheldon said. He ran to his desk and pulled up a word document. He typed feverishly and printed a document. Stephanie just stood in the kitchen looking puzzled. He grabbed the paper from the printer and a pen. "Here. You have to sign this."

"What is it?"

"It's a contract stating that you will not tell anyone what I am about to tell you unless you have permission from me to do so."

"Is this necessary?"

"Absolutely."

She just sighed and scribbled her name down. "There."

"You forget to initial here and here," he pointed to the paper.

"Ok, there. Now what the hell is going on?"

He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "The marks on my neck are not the effect of a kitchen accident."

"I know that. I saw teeth marks."

"Yes, they were made by someone. I am currently in a relationship. It has only been going on for a few days."

Stephanie let out an audible gasp. He winced and waited for the ridicule to begin. "Who?"

He couldn't say her name. He was going to be in so much trouble. He just made a nod toward his front door. It didn't take Stephanie long to pick up.

"No!"

"I'm afraid so."

"Sheldon! I can't believe it!"

"You are not the only one."

"And you haven't told anyone? Why not?"

He glared at her. "Think about my friends for a second."

Her face fell. "You're right. I can imagine how insufferable they would be toward you. Howard especially. But you will have to tell them eventually. They will find out. I noticed a difference between the two of you tonight. They will pick up on that eventually."

"When the time comes. She had made me promise not to say anything. I am dreading the conversation I get to have with her about this."

"Don't tell her that you told me."

"As you are already aware, I am the world's worst liar. That won't be possible."

"Well, just tell her I blackmailed you or something if she gets mad," she waved her hand in the air. "How serious is this? How did it happen?"

"Well, to answer your first question, I have no idea. We have agreed to take things slow. As for the second, I realized through research and analysis of my change in mood and thoughts that I had, indeed, developed feelings for Penny. As it happened, she had done the same."

"Who told who?"

"Well, we both were going to tell the other in a note. We just so happened to attempt to deliver said note at the same time very late Sunday night."

"Aww, matching love notes! That's so cute!"

He was being taken with anxiety now. It felt good to have the one secret out but the thought of what Penny was going to do to him seemed worse now. "She is going to kill me."

"Oh, she will not. I'm sure will understand. And don't worry. Your secret is safe with me, Sheldon."

"It better be. Or..." he pointed to the last paragraph on the contract. "You will face terrible repercussion to be determined at a later date."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Penny opened her door to see Sheldon standing there, holding a small potted plant and grinning very enthusiastically.

"What's that?"

"Zebrina Pendula. The inch plant. Also known as 'Wandering Jew'. They are common house plants that are low maintenance," he said, walking in. He put it her hands.

"Ok…why do you have it?"

"It's a gift. For you."

"Oh! That's nice. What's the occasion?"

Sheldon's smile faded a bit. "I believe it's a common gesture for a man to give his girlfriend a gift to soften the blow of possibly distressing news."

Uh oh. She sat the plant on the counter and turned to him. "What did you do, Sheldon?"

"First, I must ask you not to overreact. She forced me."

Her stomach gave a bad jolt. What happened? She sighed heavily. "Alright. Lay it on me."

"Stephanie is now aware of our relationship. She cornered me in the kitchen and made me confess. She had picked up an apparent change in dynamics between us. I had no choice."

Penny felt the color leave her face. She wasn't entirely surprised by this; Stephanie had given her very suspicious looks all evening. Especially regarding Sheldon's neck. What did she think about her now? Would Stephanie condone this? Or would she think she was an idiot who had no business messing with poor, innocent Sheldon. Oh my god, she would no doubt tell Leonard. This is not how this was supposed to happen.

"In my defense we did discuss the case regarding the need to tell people eventually." Sheldon fidgeted his arms. He looked so guilty. "Are you going to terminate our newfound relationship?"

Penny snapped out of it. She stared at Sheldon, who was now slightly swaying in his spot, his face a little paler than usual. He thought she would dump him over this? Bless him…

"Sheldon, sweetie…" she began, walking toward him. She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her head in his chest. "Of course not!"

"So you are not irate?"

She looked up at him. "I'm not 'irate'. But I am a little disappointed."

His face fell. "That's just as bad."

"No, its fine. I think I knew deep down that it wouldn't be a secret for long. Especially with you. My god, you attempted to move out the last time I asked you to keep a secret. I'm actually proud you kept your mouth shut this long."

His ears perked a little. "You have nothing to fret about." He fished a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I made her sign this."

Penny unfolded the paper and read it. She laughed. "Well, I hope that, for her sake, she keeps her word. I'd hate to think of what 'terrible repercussions' you could come up with."

"Believe me, I mean every word. I do not appreciate it when someone reneges on a deal."

Penny pulled away and sat on the couch. She patted the empty spot next to her and he sat down. "Well, what all did you tell her?"

"I admitted that the splotches on my neck were actually from you."

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

"And that this was a very new development. She asked how it happened and I told her that after discovering what it was I had been experiencing, I was going to inform you of it and we happened to meet in the hallway."

"You didn't tell her what we…did, did you?"

"Heavens no! I'm sure she inferred it, due to the eagerness painted all over my neck and shoulders."

Penny ran her tongue over her teeth. If only she knew exactly how eager. "Ok. But how did she react?"

"Shocked, I believe. She inquired regarding how serious it was. She then commented that our meeting in the hallway was 'so cute'. She also seems to think somewhat highly of you. When I expressed the sentiment that you were going to kill me, she said that you wouldn't and would understand."

"She was right about that," Penny said. She mulled over Stephanie's apparent reaction. Nothing he said seemed to point at disgust or disapproval. Maybe she was underestimating the situation. But then again, Stephanie was a girl, and like most girls she would be mature about the situation and be polite, even if she thought it was a horrible idea. She would have a chat with her about it. Maybe over coffee or something. Or shopping.

Sheldon just gawked at her as she looked off into space, planning a girls' night out with Stephanie. "Penny?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for not keeping the secret." He looked sincere.

"Hon, it's ok. I promise. I'm not mad."

"I just wanted to make sure. From what I've heard women tend to change their minds a lot."

She wanted to reply with a quip but she bit her tongue, leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. "That's true. Not the case this time though."

"Alright." He relaxed a bit, sinking into the couch, letting out a yawn. She snuggled up to him and he put his arm around her shoulders. She noticed the action was not as shaky as it had been.

"You tired?"

"If you are asking that because of the yawn, it should be noted that yawning is not actually a sign of tiredness. It is a reaction that changes the brain's temperature. To cool it down. But in all fairness it is passed my bedtime."

She rolled her eyes at his explanation but made a mental note. "Well, sweetie, maybe you should go to bed."

"I should in order to get the suggested 7-8 hours of sleep. I don't wish to. I'd rather sit here with you. You know, to make sure I spend enough time bonding at this moment in order to completely eradicate my faux pas."

She looked up at him. She understood that instantly. "Sheldon, you don't have to lose sleep over that. I swear, it's 'eradicated'."

"Nevertheless, I enjoy it. I could sit like this 'til dawn."

"Well, I have the early shift tomorrow so I would pass out before then."

"Go ahead. I wouldn't mind. There's no fan on you so unless you do have sleep apnea, I doubt you would snore."

She rolled her eyes. "That's very sweet, but I'm on my feet all day and I don't think sleeping sitting up would be very good for my back."

He shot her a worried look. "Have you been experiencing back pain? When did that start? Upper? Lower? Middle?"

She sighed. She always wanted a man that cared about her well being. She just didn't know one could be like this. "No, honey. I'm not. I just don't want to start."

He nodded. "Preventative. Very intelligent. The health care industries should be more supportive of preventative treatment. It could save billions…"

She could see this could be quite a tangent. She put her finger to his mouth to hush him. "I don't really want to talk politics right now."

"That's not politics, per se. It's more ethical and economical really."

She raised an eyebrow.

He cleared his throat. "Ok. No more of that tonight."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Yes, because it's really time to get some sleep."

"I already expressed me opinion on this matter."

"I know and it's very, very sweet, but I do need to go to bed."

He frowned at her. That look made her feel entirely too bad about the situation. She knew Sheldon was used to getting his way. She sighed heavily and tried to think of a compromise.

"Well, how about this instead. You can sleep here tonight. With me."

His eyes grew big and he looked away. "I don't know if I can do that. I've never attempted to sleep on your bed before. I am aware that it is comfortable from my time earlier, but I wasn't attempting to get any rest."

"You won't know until you try. It's up to you. I won't be mad at you either way. But I've got to get some sleep."

He stood up quickly and paced a bit. She stood there with her arms folded, waiting for a response. "It seems my aversion to sleeping in an unknown location is outweighed by my desire to remain in your company. I'll go change into my pajamas."

She chuckled to herself as she watched him race out the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sheldon had not slept in the same bed with another person since he was 3 years old. He remembered it clearly, like he did everything else, a storm was coming through and even though he understood all the mechanics of the weather, it still frightened him. He had his mother sleep with him that night. But that was the last time and it was a long time ago. Now here he was, his arm draped over a beautiful girl's waist as they both laid on their sides. He understood now why this position was called 'spooning'. He found it quite nice.

He was having trouble actually falling asleep. Every time he attempted to, he would noticed another freckle on her shoulder, or another shade of blonde in her hair. He could hear her somewhat heavy, even breathing and could feel her diaphragm contract under his touch. She wasn't snoring. It must have been that fan. She let out a small groan and shifted, rolling back toward him a bit, her head resting very close to his own. His nostrils filled with the soft vanilla of they body spray she had recently used and her own natural pheromones and he couldn't stop himself from putting his lips to the bend where her shoulder met her neck. Her eyes remained closed but she let out a soft moan and nuzzled back into him more, muttering something. He only could make out the words "Sheldon" and "love".

He was sure she was just talking in her sleep. Her brain was in the REM stage and she had no control over what she was thinking. He gripped her tighter and forced his eyes shut, yawning. He had to get some sleep. Why did he have to hear that gibberish? His brain was never going to stop. He kept going over the possibility of it being true. Did she love him? He knew she cared for him, that much was certain, but love? The concept nearly brought on a conniption fit. It was one thing to like a person romantically (a thing that was causing him much agony due to his inexperience) but to think about something more? What did people in love do? He assumed that most get married and procreate. He tried to picture himself in a black tux waiting at the alter. The image did not compute. He yawned again. His thoughts darted between Penny in all white, himself walking in the door of a moderately sized house and him kissing her after receiving the Nobel prize before he finally drifted into sleep.

The Batman theme coming from his phone woke him up a few hours later. He opened his eyes quickly and reached over to turn it off before it woke up Penny. She was still laying against him, her mouth slightly open, her hair spilling everywhere. He smiled to himself and was surprised at how energized he felt only after a few hours of rest. Maybe sleeping in the same bed with someone was something he could get used to. He kissed her on the cheek before sliding out of bed and putting his robe on to head across the hall. He had set his alarm to wake him up several minutes early, to insure he could slip in before Leonard woke up. He kissed her again on the lips, closed her bedroom door and headed back home. He put they key in as quietly as possible, barely breathing as he opened the front door. His heart jumped in his throat when he saw both Leonard and Stephanie were sipping coffee in the kitchen.

"Morning Sheldon. Where were you?" Leonard asked, adding non-dairy creamer to his cup.

Sheldon didn't know what to say. His brain had unhinged. He wasn't even sure he could remember how to form sentences. He looked at Stephanie, who was standing behind Leonard for anything.

"He took some recycling downstairs. I saw him leaving when I came out of the bedroom," Stephanie said.

Sheldon felt his heart rate slow dramatically. He still couldn't speak.

Leonard seemed to think nothing of it. He sat on the couch and turned the morning news on. Sheldon slowly walked toward the kitchen where Stephanie was still standing. He mouthed "thank you" to her and poured himself a cup of coffee. She winked at him and whispered that they had only been up about 5 minutes. He was very grateful for that. He knew he liked her for a reason. Perhaps he would get some sort of card or trinket to show his appreciation. Feeling immensely relieved, he showered and dressed and soon he was off to work, thinking about nothing but the freckles on Penny's shoulders.

****

On her lunch hour Penny sent a text to Leonard to get Stephanie's cell number, making an excuse about needing some medical advice. She sat outside to get some fresh air and sent Stephanie a text. It read "Hey, it's Penny. I heard what happened with Sheldon last night. Call me when you get a chance." She sighed as she sent it, feeling the anxiety in her stomach. The thought of anyway disapproving of her dating Sheldon made her feel awful. She got a text from Sheldon soon after asking about their date tonight. He wasn't sure what they could do or what their cover could be to tell everyone else. She suggested that she was just gonna take him out to run errands and do some shopping.

Her phone vibrated and saw Stephanie was calling. She took a deep breath and answered.

"Hey Stephanie," she said cheerfully.

"Hey Penny," Stephanie said, just as cheerfully.

"So, about last night..."

"You don't have to explain anything. Sheldon told me everything."

"Well..."

There was silence on the phone.

"Are you ok, Penny?"

"Not really. I'm terrified of what everyone is gonna say." She felt a little bit of that tightness ease.

"Why?"

"I don't know! I mean...its Sheldon!"

Stephanie laughed. "Yes. Sheldon Cooper. The asexual Sheldon Cooper who has finally realized his true nature. I'm happy for him. And for you."

Penny smiled. She sounded sincere. "Really? You don't think its a horrible, terrible idea?"

"Why would I think that?"

"Look at us! We couldn't be any different!"

"Well, it's true, you have two different personalities. But opposites attract, right? Relationships would be utterly boring if both parties were exactly the same."

"I guess….You may not see anything wrong with it, but what about the rest of them? Raj won't say anything in front of me because...well because I'm a woman. But I am terrified of the reactions from Wolowitz or Leonard."

"Well, it's Sheldon we are talking about so teasing will be inevitable. But do you honestly believe they will condone it? They are your friends too, ya know."

Penny sighed. She had thought of all this of course. "I don't know how we should tell them. We are supposed to go out tonight and I've had to come up with a lie of Sheldon asking me to take him to run errands."

"Aww. What are you guys going to do?"

"No clue yet. I'm gonna let him decide. It would be easier for him to just pick something rather than he shoot down all my suggestions for various insane reasons."

"Ha ha. Maybe this relationship will work out. You already seem to know how to avoid arguments. But honestly Penny, I wouldn't worry too much. I think the response will be complete and utter shock more than anything."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

Stephanie laughed again. "Not shock in a bad way. Just shock. I mean, it's Sheldon. We all thought he was a different species."

"I'm included with that. He's actually very sweet. And naive. But it's endearing."

"See, just hearing that is bizarre to me. But that's ok. I'll get used to it. So will everyone else. No worries though. I'm not gonna spill the beans to anyone. I signed a contract."

"I know. Sheldon happily gave it to me to try and ease the fact he broke his promise. He was serious business about it."

"Terrible Repercussions. It's very intimidating." She laughed. "You just tell them when you feel the time is right. I'm sure they will be oblivious about it til then."

Penny smiled. "Thanks, Stephanie. You have no idea how wound up I've been. It's awful."

"No problem. Maybe once everything is in the clear we can double date."

"Maybe. If you like what Sheldon decides on," Penny laughed.

"I do have one question."

"Lay it on me."

"Is he a good kisser? I can't wrap my head around it."

Penny burst out laughing. "He is just fine. Very good for someone with no experience. He just needs another week or so with me."

"That is so bizarre."

"You're telling me. But my lunch is about over. I'll talk to you later."

"Have fun 'running errands' tonight. Bye."

"Bye."

Penny held her cell phone to her chin. So Stephanie seemed genuinely ok with them dating. Tickled about it even. That was good. Very good. She headed back inside to put her apron back on, thinking over possible scenarios in which she could break the news. Nothing was coming to mind. She thought perhaps the best way to do it would be quick, like a band aid, and just gather everyone at the apartment and then kiss Sheldon in front of them. Their brains might explode with such a bold statement though. That would be kinda cruel. No, maybe one night when they were all there just hanging out. Thai night, perhaps. Stephanie would have to be there. To have a little moral support. She could imagine Sheldon would be a nervous wreck, worse than she would be. Her phone vibrated again. It was Sheldon.

"Whatever you want to do tonight is fine. I have no big objections to anything, as long as I am with you."

She couldn't control the grin on her face.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sheldon sat down at their usual lunch table with Leonard, Raj and Howard. He had been aware of a conversation between Howard and Leonard in the line but wasn't really listening. He just sat eating his lunch quietly while they bickered on.

"I'm just saying Leonard. Imagine how hot it would be if they cast Brittany Murphy as Harley Quinn. She would be perfect. She's got the blond hair, the baby blues, and that voice," Howard said.

Leonard shrugged. "I don't know. I would rather see Rachel McAdams. Or Sarah Michelle Gellar. There's just something about Brittany Murphy I don't care for."

"Maybe it's because you are not heterosexual. That's the only explanation I can think of," Raj said. Leonard just sneered at him.

"What about you, Sheldon? Who would you like to see as Harley on the big screen?"

His first thought was of Penny in a skin tight black and red jester outfit. He was able to stop himself before blurting that out. "I would go with Brittany Murphy. She showed great use of that sort of high pitched voice in her small role in Sin City."

"See, Leonard. You are out numbered," Howard said, sipping from his juice box.

"It's my opinion. It doesn't matter if I'm outnumbered." Leonard huffed.

Raj just shook his head. "So, what are your plans for this evening, gentlemen?"

"Me and Steph were gonna have dinner tonight. But she has a morning shift so I'm free later this evening," Leonard said.

"Ma needs me to help move furniture to have the rugs cleaned when I get home," Howard said. "But that shouldn't take long."

"Good. How about some Halo tonight? It's been forever since we've all been able to play together," Raj suggested.

They all agreed. Sheldon realized they did not ask him of his plans. They must have assumed he had nothing to do. He had to tell them he would not be able to play. He would have to lie to them. This was not going to be easy.

"I won't be playing," he said. They all turned to him, waiting for a reason why.

"I have prior engagements." He could feel the muscles around his eyes.

"For what?" Howard asked.

"Penny has agreed to take me to run errands. I will be gone most of the evening," he said very carefully, trying to keep his face from twitching.

"Like what?" Leonard asked.

Penny had not told him what to say. He hadn't planned that far ahead. He tried to think of the most reasonable explanation. "We are going to Best Buy."

Raj made a face. "That's all? How long could that possibly take?"

Leonard answered that. "Raj. It's Sheldon."

Raj nodded. "Right. I forgot."

Sheldon turned back to his tray. He was thankful the subject was not brought up again. He felt solace in joining an intense conversation about the upcoming Avengers movie where there was no need in trying to deceive. Once he was back in the safety of his office, he called Penny and left her a voice message informing her of the 'best buy' ordeal. He then, rather easily, immersed himself back into his work.

****

Penny changed into a casual but nice outfit and waited for Sheldon to come over. She thought about putting on something a little fancier but she didn't want to arouse any suspicion. Plus she didn't feel the need to dress up for him. She had a feeling he wouldn't care what she was wearing. Still, she looked rather cute and was excited about going to "Best Buy". Sheldon waited for Leonard to leave for his date before he came over. She smiled to see he had opted for a plain collared shirt to wear over his long sleeve black shirt instead of the usual comic book themed one.

"Hello. Have you decided where we are going?" He asked walking into her apartment.

"No clue. I thought I would let you pick. We would get there much faster that way. i I /i am not that picky," she teased.

"I anticipated that," Sheldon said. He pulled a list from his pants pocket. "These are the eateries that I am comfortable with dining."

She just shook her head and took the list. "Well, let's see what has the 'Sheldon Seal of Approval' here..." She looked over the list and tried to find a place they hadn't had take out from recently. She was surprised to see Buca listed, a hip Italian restaurant. She rose and eyebrow and looked at him.

He rolled his tongue is his cheek. "I'm assuming by your reaction you see a place you are interested in."

"Buca? I wasn't expecting to see that."

He shrugged. "I've only been there twice, but the food is excellent. The atmosphere is what has kept me from being a more frequent patron. It's usually very crowded. And that last time I was there the waiter gave me funny looks."

"I'm sure he's not the only one that's done that," Penny slipped. He gave her an odd look. "I mean, you are not ordinary people, hon."

"Yes. That is true," he sighed. "So you want to go Buca?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't. It's on the list."

"Great, I'll grab my purse."

"There is one thing before we go. If you don't mind," Sheldon said.

"What?"

"Can we stop at Best Buy? I have to buy something to validate the excuse I had to give earlier. They will expect it."

Penny laughed. "Of course. Wouldn't want you to get caught in a lie."

They rode in the car in a comfortable silence. Penny was surprised at how quiet Sheldon was. It was not like him. She imagined it was just nerves. He had seemed very jumpy on the voice mail he left her earlier. Lying was not his bag and it showed. She also was aware that this was his first actual date. She remembered her first date. She was a freshman in high school, it was mid-September. Richie Benson was a football player and a junior. He was tall and blond. He picked her up in his pickup and took her out for dinner and to drive around. He tried to put a move on her and he left with a black eye. Ok, so her first date wasn't that much of a success. She would make sure his was.

She parked at Best Buy and they went in. Sheldon immediately was drawn to the computer section. She rolled her eyes. "I'll be over in the movies," she told him. He just nodded and began looking at something in a box that looked complicated.

She browsed through drama first. She wasn't really here to buy anything in particular. The bargain hunter in her made her look at all the movies with sale tags. They were disappointing. Must be why they were marked down to $4.99. "Benny and Joon" was on sale for $7.99. Johnny Depp being adorable in a top hat? Yeah. She grabbed that and kept going through the isles.

****

Sheldon could see the top of Penny's blond head barely peeking above the racks over in media. She looked very pretty tonight. She smelled wonderfully too. He was trying to think of conversations to have over dinner to keep things going. This was his first date and he didn't want it to be an unmitigated disaster. He made a note to offer to purchase her a dvd or cd before they left. He was fairly sure that was an ok thing to do. He was already planning to pay for dinner tonight. A $15 cd wouldn't be too much. He would have to ask her not to mention it to Leonard. He assumed she wouldn't have anyway. He turned his attention back to the task at hand.

He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, as they say. He needed to get something that he could feasibly explain needing that was also something that he would spend a lot of time deciding before he purchased it. His lie had to work. He was staring hopelessly at wireless routers. He already had a perfectly good router. It would be improbable for him to buy a new one. He glided over to the drivers. He already had ample disk space for his laptop. But one can never have too much. He could get a new one and store just a particular set of items on it. Like music. Or videos. Or pictures. Or word documents. Yes, that could work. He began to compare the different items. His concentration kept being interrupted by the sound of "Eye of the Tiger" being played by children on the Rock Band setup.

Whoever was on drums was terrible. He could hear all the broken beats. How was the possible? That song was the easiest song in the game. He tried to tune it out and pick a driver. Okay, this one had great storage capacity, the color matched his laptop...these kids were awful at this game. He strained his neck to see them. He was expecting to see a couple of six year olds with motor skills that hadn't developed yet. The two boys on the game had to be 13 or 14. He tisked. It was obvious someone needed to work on their hand eye coordination.

A very sleek internet VOIP phone caught his eye as he was leaning over the displays. He could stand to upgrade their phones. He had purchased them 4 years ago. And these were very sharp. Plus they could save around $15 dollars a month if they switched to internet phone service...Oh come on! How can you fail out of the Beastie Boys? You don't even use all the drums for that song! He hung the three drivers he had in his hand back up and walked over the setup. He was watching them closely. The boy on the guitar was not bad. But the redheaded boy on the drums was just awful. Terrible. The urge to grab the sticks from that rhythmless child was growing with every missed bass drum. He began tapping his foot in tune with the notes on the screen.

****

Penny stopped ogling a shiny silver refrigerator and glanced at her phone. Had they really been there for over two hours? I guess time flies when window shopping. She looked down at the little basket she was now pushing. There were several dvds, cds, ipod accessory kit and new cell phone cover. Huh. She didn't recall grabbing that much stuff. Oh well. Where was Sheldon? She went to the front of the store and surveyed around. She didn't see his head anywhere. Hmm. She noticed a redheaded kid pacing back and forth toward the back of the store. A few people were gathering around something. She headed back there to be nosy. What she found was Sheldon sitting on the tiny drum stool, his long legs almost to his chin, playing the video game drums.

She stood far enough behind him so that he wouldn't see her. He was playing "Anyway You Want It" by Journey. She had to stifle a laugh. Even playing a game that any person would play with enthusiasm, he looked so stone-faced. His head didn't move at all. His neck was so long and smooth and she wanted to bury her head in that nook. She was amazed at how little he moved while doing a task that required lots of movement. Eventually she began to watch the screen and following him. Based on the amount of notes she saw, he must have been playing on at least the hard setting. He was surprisingly good. He finished the song with a 99%. She noticed the kids standing around were fidgeting. They wanted to play. Before he chose a new song she jumped forward and leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"That was kinda hot."

Sheldon about jumped out his skin. He turned to her and she was pleased to see a hint of pink raise to his cheeks. "Thanks...I think."

She kissed his cheek. "Sheldon, have you been hogging the game from these kids?"

"It's not hogging. It's teaching. I doubt any of these children could keep the simple three beat cadence of "We Will Rock" by Queen," he turned back to the screen and picked 'Pinball Wizard' by the Who. He turned to small, young crowd and said "With practice you too could play the erratic and drug-fueled beats like the late Keith Moon. Without the drugs of course."

Penny bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. She just stood behind him and bounced a bit to the song. When it was over, she pulled him away from the game so the kids could play. "Now, I know your mom taught you it's polite to share. Besides, the store is closing in like twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?" He looked at his watch. "We've been here for two and half hours. I've wasted most of our date." He frowned.

Penny's face dropped. "It's ok. We still have time to get dinner. It's not your fault. I was mesmerized by the shiny appliances. Let's just check out and go find something to eat."

****

Sheldon nodded. "Wait. You go get in line. I have to grab something." He watched Penny head to the check out counter and he hurried back to the drivers. Despite himself, he forced himself to grab the driver that matched his laptop without really comparing it against the others. He could always bring it back if needed. He couldn't believe how long they spent here. This was not how a first date should be, he was fairly certain. First dates should be spent with the person you are on the date with. Not separated in a giant electronics store. He sigh and met her back in the line. He raised an eyebrow at the basket full of dvds and cds.

"They are all on sale!" Penny snipped. "Don't give me that look!"

He shrugged. "What look? I was just marveling at the number of items. I make no assumption about anything."

She didn't respond. She started to rifle through her basket and removed 2 movies, a cd and the ipod kit. "That was a lot wasn't it?"

"If you mean in the scale of this store? No. I would say that would be less than 1% of their stock," he said, looking around the store.

She looked like she might have wanted to say something but didn't. She turned from him toward the cashier as he rang up her items. Once her things were bagged she turned to him. "I'm gonna go grab a soda from the machine out front."

"Ok," he said. As she walked away he had an idea. He grabbed her discarded items and put them with his own. He had the cashier triple bag it to try and disguise the items so she couldn't see them. She was waiting at the door for him, drinking from a bottle of Dr. Pepper. "Ready?"

She nodded and walked toward the car. "It's almost eleven. I'm not sure what time Buca is open til."

"I know you want to eat there. Just drive there and we will find out," Sheldon said. He tucked his bad under the seat out of sight. He didn't want to disappoint her anymore. He would brave through the large crowd of people talking loudly and snotty waiters and loud jazz so she could have a good night.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Not surprisingly, Buca was still open and packed. They opted to sit at the bar while waiting for a table. Penny ordered a light cocktail and Sheldon got a diet virgin Cuba Libre, just like she thought he would. She watched as his fingers tapped rapidly on the side of the glass. He had his head down and seemed to be in deep thought. She took a sip of the syrupy solution and rubbed over his knuckles with her finger.

"Sweetie? You ok?"

Sheldon responded with a non-convincing nod. Penny just stared at him with a slightly crooked mouth. He was only able to bear that look for a few seconds.

"I am disappointed in myself for wasting most of the night at Best Buy. That was not the right thing to do on a date. Especially a first date," he said finally.

"Sheldon. It's fine. It's not your fault. I got sucked into all the silver appliances for almost an hour myself. You are not the only guilty party here. Besides, I got to watch you play fake drums. It was kind of hypnotic."

Sheldon narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't notice any dilated pupils...your breathing patterns are normal. You are either telling the truth or you are a sociopath."

"Please. I can barely watch certain episodes of Full House without tearing up," she rolled her eyes. "Don't be all 'Debbie Downer'. We are here, we're gonna have a great dinner. We will talk and laugh. Then we will kiss. Then we'll go home and you will pretend that all I did was drive you to the store. It's gonna be awesome."

Sheldon just smiled.

They were able to get a nice table in the back corner of the restaurant. She could almost see a bit of Sheldon's tension disappear when he realized it. They ordered their food and got into a conversation about the Academy Awards. Well, actually the only thing Sheldon knew about them were how many nominations there were for the Dark Knight.

"Everyone knows Heath Ledger is going to win for Best Supporting Actor. People were saying it the weekend the movie came out," Sheldon said, his hands in his lap. "Granted, the fact that he died may be a slight factor but it really was a great performance."

"I'm not saying it wasn't a great performance, I'm just saying I wouldn't be upset if Robert Downey won. Kirk Lazarus was a great character," Penny said, chewing on the end of a straw. She was secretly loving this. She loved a good argument or debate or whatever you want to call it, and no one was more unyielding than Sheldon.

"It was a good performance. But not anywhere close to the Joker," he spat back.

She let it go. She just shook her head a bit and leaned over and kissed him. She then noticed a guy walking toward their table with a determined look on his face.

"Cooper? Is that you?" The Guy said.

Sheldon's back immediately went straight and his face was devoid of all emotion. He slowly looked at the man who was now standing next to their table. "Kripke."

The man grinned. "I thought that was you. I saw your tiny ears and wittle head but I saw a hot bwonde chick kiss you so I couldn't be sure."

Penny raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Penny, this is Barry Kripke. He works at the university. Kripke, this is..." he stopped. She could tell he didn't know what to call her. She didn't like this guy's attitude so she answered for him.

"His girlfriend."

Kripke's face lit up. "Girlfwiend? That's a joke wight?"

"I assure you, Kripke, the only joke present at the moment is that ridiculous jacket you are wearing," Sheldon said.

"Ouch, Cooper," Kripke said sarcastically. He turned his attention back to Penny. "So you two weally are dating? Or are you going to be getting a hefty amount of cash before the night's over?"

Penny bit her tongue. "I'm going to pretend like you just didn't insinuate that I am a prostitute for your own safety, Barry. Plus, I don't want to ruin our date by being kicked out for burying my shoe in your ass."

Kripke looked a little stunned and backed up a few feet. "Woah, calm down honey. No need to get all excited. It just you are weally weally hot. And this is Sheldon. I was under the impwession that he was asexual."

Sheldon opened his mouth to say something but didn't. Penny could tell he was in a battle he was not prepared to fight. "Well I can guarantee you he is not. Not at all. Now if you don't mind, we would like to get back to our date."

Kripke pursed his lips. "No problem, sugar. You kids have fun." And with that he walked away. Penny watched him leave before turning back to Sheldon who seemed a few shades paler.

"This is not good," he finally said.

"Why?"

"He is going to tell everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if he is on his phone right now texting people."

Penny saw the need for slight panic. "Well, we will just have to break the news to everyone before he can spill." She swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that. Wolowitz and Raj would be easy. She just didn't know how Leonard would take it. It had been several months since their one and only date. It was awkward at first but they were past that and actually very comfortable with each other. She had a feeling there might be some lingering feelings he might have toward her but he was with Stephanie now, and hopefully those were very dormant. But how would he take finding out his best friend was with the girl he used to pine for? Would that cause a rift in their friendship? Oh god, she didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to think about it, but the issue was forced now. This guy was going to tell everyone. She would rather they hear from her directly. They would all know soon enough, regardless. She had to tell them tonight.

It was gonna be a long night.

*****

Sheldon forced himself to eat most of the lasagna on his plate. He was not in the mood to eat. His mind was too occupied with what was going to happen soon. They were going to announce their relationship before it could be exposed. He cursed in his mind. Damn Kripke. He was going to ruin everything. Figures. He would have to think of some sort of retaliation for this. Now wasn't the time for that. He had to try and focus on not running from the table in fear. That wouldn't be a very good first date. He kept stealing glances at Penny, who was picking at her own food. Perhaps she felt the same way. Only one way to find out.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

She started at the question. "I thought the woman was supposed to ask that in the relationship," she smiled. "Honestly? I'm sorta kinda freaking out."

"Why?"

"Leonard."

He wasn't really expecting that answer. He didn't say anything, just listened intently.

"I could give a rat's ass what Raj of Howard think. I just don't want things to be all messed up with Leonard. I know our failed little date was a while ago, and he has Stephanie now, but I honestly don't know how he is gonna take this. I don't want to be the cause of a fight between the two of you. I don't want to lose him as a friend either."

Sheldon sighed. "I'm unable to hypothesize on his reaction as well."

She didn't say anything else. He went back to his plate. It was a little comforting to know she was worrying about the same thing he was. Deep down he knew that Leonard would be ok in the end, he just didn't want to deal with the middle. Would he really be that upset? He seemed to have given up on Penny months ago, especially since meeting Stephanie. And if he did "freak out" how would that make Stephanie feel? He was disgusted. Relationships caused too much drama. But it was too late for that.

They finished their meal; he paid the tab (with only a little protest from Penny) and headed to the car. She started up the car, turned the radio off and gripped the wheel tightly.

"Well, sweetie. What's the plan?"

He didn't answer. He was completely helpless. "I have no idea."

She let out a little laugh. "I figured as much. You expect all of them to be at your place, playing Halo?"

He nodded. "As far as I know."

"Okay, here's the plan. We will both go in. If they are in the middle of a game, we will wait til its over. You will tell them you have some important news. Warn them it might come as a shock."

"Is the idea of me being in a romantic relationship that far fetched that I would need to warn them it will be shocking news?"

She didn't hesitate to answer. "Without a doubt."

Fair enough, he thought. "Then what?"

"I think you should just start out by saying that you have a girlfriend. Don't tell them its me right off the bat. Just explain that you realized feelings and told the person and they had the same feelings and that you agreed to start a relationship. Let that sink in first. If they first thing they say is 'who is it' just try and avoid it and continue explaining the situation. Okay?"

"Okay."

"After that, if they ask again, go ahead and say me. What will then probably happen is they will turn to me with possibly horrified looks."

Sheldon stared at her. She was giving this very detailed thought.

"At the point I will confirm this. After that I have no idea what will happen. I imagine it will be a lot of questions. From there we will just have to go with the flow. Do you think you can do this?"

"Probably not. But I shall try my best."

She reached over and held his hand. "At least you are honest."

Once they reached the apartment building, he started to panic. Penny held his hand the whole time up the stairs. He felt like he was climbing to his impending doom. He could feel Penny's hand shaking slight in his own. He couldn't determine if this made him feel better or worse about the situation. They stood in front of his door. Neither reached for the knob. She clenched his hand tight.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Not at all," he said truthfully. She kissed his cheek and his stomach gave a jolt. He let go of her hand and went inside.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

As she had anticipated, they were in the middle of a game. She watched as Raj, without looking up or saying a word, automatically moved out of Sheldon's seat for him. Sheldon walked behind the couch and sat down rather awkwardly, his back stiff and his hands on his knees. Penny headed for the kitchen, noticing the fight had a little over two minutes left. Two minutes of agony. She grabbed a bottle of water and leaned against the island counter. She could feel the blood pulsing throughout her entire body. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for Sheldon to do this right.

The full two minutes weren't needed. Within a few seconds of her twisting the cap off the bottle the battle was over. The boys started cheering slightly, going on about who killed who and how. Well, Howard and Leonard did. Raj just smiled and nodded like always. Leonard grabbed the fourth controller and threw it to Sheldon.

"What took you so long?" Howard asked. "I thought you were just going to Best Buy."

Sheldon opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Leonard, who wasn't looking at him, answered. "Howard. Really? It's Sheldon. They probably ended up having to kick him out at closing time."

Howard seemed satisfied and turned his attention back to the tv. Sheldon glanced at Penny. Oh man, he was gonna choke. This was not gonna be good. She widened her eyes and mouthed the words "Go On" to him. He nodded and cleared his throat.

"I have some news to share. I warn you, it may come as a shock" he said, his voice breaking a bit.

They all turned their heads to him at once. "Is this really news? Or is this like the time you got us all together just to announce that you were boycotting the Lego company because there was a piece missing from your Millennium Falcon set?" Howard asked.

Raj started laughing. Despite the fact that she felt like she was going to throw up her own heart, Penny laughed too.

"This surpasses that ordeal, I do believe," he continued, ignoring the snickers. Good boy. "Something has happened to me within the past week that nobody would have ever foreseen. I've kept it a secret, which was a very daunting thing to do."

The boys were no longer snickering. They must have detected a real sense of importance. Penny was sort of impressed with such a quick change in demeanor in them. Hell, they even looked a little concerned now. Sheldon seemed to notice it too because he stopped talking again. His eyes were darting back and forth between his friends but he couldn't say anything.

"Sheldon, are you going to tell us or what?" Leonard finally asked.

"I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" Sheldon suddenly yelled.

Penny turned her back from them and leaned against the counter, her head in her hands. She was sure they weren't looking at her. Her face must be beet red. Well, at least he tried...

"Come again?" Howard asked.

"I have a girlfriend," Sheldon said again, with a little more control.

The questions were gonna start any second. Penny braced her self for....laughter? They were all laughing at him! Rude, so rude...Oh! They think he is messing with them. Shit, she should have thought about that! She turned back around to check out the scene. Poor baby, being laughed at like that. This was already hard enough for him...

"Yeah right, Sheldon. Did you build her?" Leonard asked, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes.

"No, Leonard. She is not an android."

"Did you meet her on Second Life?" Howard asked.

"No. She is a real person. I was on a date tonight."

They all stopped laughing.

"Jesus, Sheldon, you're serious?" Leonard asked.

"Yes."

Leonard asked "who?" and Howard asked "how?" Penny crossed her fingers and hoped he would ignore Leonard's question. Sheldon looked at all of them again and froze. Shit, she was gonna have to do this. Shit, shit, shit!

"Sheldon, tell them what you told me," Penny said, walking toward them. All eyes flew to her now. She sat on the arm of the couch where Sheldon was. "Remember, you were having disrupted thoughts and you were getting butterflies in your stomach anytime you thought about this girl?"

"Penny, it wasn't literal butterflies but yes," Sheldon said. Alright. She brought him back. "Yes, so through research and interpretation I realized that these were the product of deep positive emotional responses to a particular person."

Raj and Howard's mouths were wide open. Leonard was still listening intently. Sheldon had frozen again. She kinda of shook him on the shoulder. He didn't respond. She shook her head.

"So, Sheldon decided to tell the girl about his new development. As it turns out, she felt the same. Now they are dating," Penny said, trying to keep her tone even.

Raj narrowed his eyes and looked away from Sheldon. Howard sighed and shook his head. "Is it Katie Lukins? Or Marsha Jan? Rachel Ortega?"

Penny raised an eyebrow. Who were all these girls?

"Howard, that's ridiculous," Leonard said. "Have you even met those girls? Katie has a unibrow. Marsha looks like she was hit in the face with a frying pan and Rachel is certifiably crazy. Like, she is on medication for it."

"I know that. Those are the only people who it could possibly be. No one else in their right mind would go out with Sheldon," Howard said. He turned back to him and patted his knee. "No offense buddy."

Penny did not like that. Not at all. There was no reason to be such an ass, especially when his friend is putting his heart on the line (well, as much as Sheldon can anyway). So she took a deep breath, put her hands right under his jaw line and kissed him. She concentrated hard to make the kiss passionate but not too crazy. Enough to prove her point and make them believe it. She could feel Sheldon kissing her back and was thankful. That would make it more believable. She pulled away from it and said simply. "It's me."

*******

His friends were indeed shocked. Raj looked at him, then Penny and then back at him. He stood up slowly and said "I'm out" and walked out the door. Howard was shaking his head in obvious disbelief.

"This is an elaborate, completely unfunny practical joke right?" Howard asked.

Penny shook her head. "No. This is serious."

Leonard said not a word. Sheldon couldn't even be sure he was still breathing. His stomach gave a jolt, a different kind than Penny gave him. This one reminded him of the feeling he had when he destroyed his sister Missy's dollhouse. Guilt, was it? Why did he feel guilty? He knew the most probable cause. You are apparently not supposed to date your best friend's ex. But Leonard and Penny didn't date. They had one failed date. There was no romantic relationship. So it wasn't as if he destroyed that. That was months and months ago. Leonard had moved on. He had Stephanie. He had no reason to feel guilty, right?

Penny's face was difficult to read. Well, more so than usual. Sheldon wished he could hear her thoughts. She stood up and headed back toward the kitchen. Was she upset? Nervous? Regretful? Oh, please not regretful. He didn't want their relationship to end over this. At the same time he didn't want his friendships to suffer. This was absurd. All he wanted to do now was go sit in his room alone and block it all out. Einstein never went through this madness. Or Newton. His head began to throb. He closed his eyes and tried to go over the second season of Battlestar Galactica in his head.

Howard suddenly stood up and walked toward Penny. He backtracked and went toward Sheldon. He was concerned by the look on Howard's face that he may actually strike him. He flinched when he grabbed his arm, forcing him to stand up, and lead him to Penny. Howard then pushed them together, side by side, shoulder to arm (he was much taller than her). He just stood there and stared at them, stroking his chin. Sheldon did like being gawked at. He was fairly certain Penny didn't either.

"I...I just don't understand," Howard said. He sounded very confused. Sheldon was about to explain it again to Howard, breaking it into sections to help him understand, but when Penny placed her hand in his he shut up. Howard's eyes were drawn to their hands and sighed. "Well, that's all for me. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head home to hang myself." He headed for the door.

"Howard!" Penny protested. "Don't be stupid!"

He turned back to her. "No, Penny. The day Sheldon gets a girlfriend, a smokin' hot one at that, and I can't...well. That's it for me."

Penny made a disgusted sound as Howard closed the door behind him.

"Don't worry. He's threatened suicide several times before. He has no will. He won't go through with it," Sheldon said.

She let go of his hand and he watched as she sat on the couch, next to his spot, and turned her attention to Leonard. Oh Lord. He was not looking forward to this confrontation at all. Leonard was not smiling. Or frowning. Or furrowing his brow. He was just staring out at nothing with a blank expression

"Leonard, please say something," Penny pleaded.

"What do you want me to say?" Leonard asked very softly.

"Anything," Penny said.

"I'm a little overwhelmed right now," Leonard said, finally moving, sitting back in his chair. "I'll be right back." He left and went into his room and shut the door.

******

Penny felt terrible. She knew she shouldn't, but she did. Sure, she had purposely dated other guys when she knew others had crushes on her. But that was in grade school. This was different. She didn't want to be the cause of Sheldon and Leonard breaking up. Ha. She smiled to herself. They were like an old married couple when you really think about it. But still, she was a firm advocate of the ol' "Bros before Ho's" standard, though she highly doubted either would use that term. Or have even heard of it. Regardless, she would not be the cause of the loss of friendship.

All she was waiting for was Leonard's response. It was going to determine how she would move forward from here. She had been wrestling with the thought all week, but she was pretty much decided that if Leonard would not or could not accept it, and it would cause problems with Sheldon, she would end it. She knew in her heart that it would break hers, even more so it would break Sheldon's. She was willing to hurt herself and him to keep his friendship intact. Even if the end result would be losing both of them in the process. She went over the possible outcomes a thousand times over. The minutes ticked by. Sheldon never said a word, just sat next to her, holding her hand.

It took all of her will to not break down into tears.

Leonard finally came into to the living room.

*******

"You two weren't planning on telling anyone tonight were you?" Leonard asked.

Penny answered. "Not tonight, no. We were gonna plan it a little better. You got a text from that jerk didn't you?"

Leonard half-smiled. "Kripke is an ass. And yes. I understand why you would want to tell everyone and not him." He turned to Sheldon. "You didn't really run into the cabinets did you?"

Sheldon cleared his throat. "I did not."

Leonard just nodded. "Well, if it's any relief to you, I'm not mad."

Sheldon sighed. "Thank heavens."

Penny didn't looked convinced. "Honestly?" she asked.

"Maybe just a little. But I think it's just a hint of jealousy really. I'm just shocked. I mean, no offense Sheldon...but you are the last person I thought in our circle that would be in a relationship. I had Raj ahead of you, even with the fact he can't speak in front of woman."

Sheldon just nodded. This was true. He couldn't be offended by such logical thought process. He himself probably would have had the same bet. Penny still looked uncertain. Leonard detected that.

"I'm serious, Penny. If this were several months ago, I might think differently. I came to terms with the fact we would never be in a relationship a while ago. I'm happy with Stephanie. It's just...bizarre."

Penny jumped up and hugged him. "Leonard, you have no idea how happy that makes me."

"I just have one favor."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Please, please, please. Try not to make out in front of me. It's like a weird dream and it makes me uncomfortable. I'll get used to it, but like...I don't know. I'll get warmed up to it, but a little at a time please."

"I promise," Penny said.

Sheldon ran to the computer to put it writing.


End file.
